Mia
by 3VAMM3
Summary: After getting expelled from her school in America, Takagi Mia is forced to return to the life she had in Japan where she takes it upon herself to become the Seirin Basketball Team's manager! However, her past with the Generation of Miracles is not something to take lightly and it soon comes crawling back to her. [GoM x OC]
1. You're Annoying

"Hey had you heard of the basketball team at Teiko Middle School?"

Takagi Mia's ears twitched at the familiar name of her middle school, her eyes slowly straying to the group of high schoolers sitting next to her table in the fast food restaurant. It seemed like the sudden topic of the basketball team peaked the interest of her table mates sitting around her as well since most of them had stopped eating their meals all together to hear better.

"Ah, you mean the one with the so called 'Generation of Miracles'? Yeah, I've heard of them, but only that they are all bark and no bite."

"Seriously?! That's too bad. I thought that those kids would actually be a _challenge_ since they were payed to be on the team instead of actually going to tryouts.

"Payed, huh?"

"Well, there is no other explanation really if they aren't as good as people say they are."

Just by how loud they were being made it obvious that they knew who they were sitting next to. With their horrible insults and rude behavior, Mia was sure that the entire restaurant could hear them.

It pissed her off.

"Aomine-kun, you're going to break your cup."

The sudden mellow voice made Mia jump slightly in her seat. She only knew Kuroko Tetsuya for a short while, but she could never get used to his ability to pop up out of no where.

"Shut up. I don't know what you're talking about."

Aomine's low growl sent shivers up Mia's spine, forcing the raven haired girl to look across the booth where the basketball player sat. His large, tan hand was indeed gripping his styrofoam cup with more strength than he needed, the top popping off and warning everyone that if any more strength was applied, the entire thing would burst.

"Aomine." Another voice spoke up, "Please don't cause any unnecessary trouble. My rank today was far lower than I would have hoped for and I do not feel like cleaning up your mess."

"Why do you assume that I'm going to be causing trouble, Midorima?! If anything, it's those guys who are causing trouble for us."

"Mine-chin, are you going to eat that?" Murasakibara's lazy voice filled Mia's ears, joining into the conversation with a non related topic.

"Mukkun, I don't know whether to be happy or worried that you are still focused on eating."

Mia stared at her friend's eating habits as he continued to devour the snacks that he had brought in with him. Even she had to admit that his sweet tooth was pretty impressive compared to most people's.

"Look at them over there. Acting all buddy buddy with one another after what we said about them."

The sickening laughs of the high schoolers next to them became louder, making Midorima and Aomine stop arguing across the booth from Mia and halting Murasakibara from crunching loudly on his chip. She could even feel Kuroko tense up next to her, something she never thought the kid could do.

"They really are a group of pathetic kids if they get worked up over something small like this. Ha!"

It really pissed her off.

"I guess we can't call them the Generation of Miracles of they are this much of a disappoi-"

With her soda and companions left behind, Mia jumped out of her seat and rammed her fist into the face of one of the high schoolers, (hopefully) dislocating his jaw as he stumbled out of his seat. The gasps and surprised expressions she received from many of the other customers in the building, including the group of middle schoolers she had come with, were completely ignored as she glared down at the remaining men still in their chairs.

"What the hell is your problem?!" One of them screamed, crouching down to help his friend.

"Nothing. You're just annoying that's all." Mia answered, never looking away from them.

"We weren't even talking about you!"

"But you were talking about my team." She lowered herself to grab the collar of the shirt that belonged to the high schooler she hit, "And I don't like it when people insult my team."

"Don't tell me..." The high schooler choked, trying to make words using a messed up jaw, "are you...the...manager?"

"No." Mia responded "I'm the assistant manager."

* * *

"Ms. Takagi!"

The sudden use of English brought the girl back to reality, her heavy lidded eyes opening slowly to see a woman standing over her. The familiar blonde hair in a bun and black pencil skirt made Mia scowl as she recognized the vice principal of her school. What made her scowl deepen was the fact that the older woman had already found her orange basketball and had confiscated it in the crook of her arm.

Talk about an unfair advantage.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?!"

"Well, by the way you managed to find me two hours earlier than you did yesterday and the fact that I have been here probably about five hours already, I'm gonna say that it's around 12:30. Which also means that it's lunch time and that is why you are out here in the first place, isn't it?"

"It also means that it is still school time and you are no where near the school!" The vice principal, Ms. Greenwood, screeched, forcing Mia to cover her ears as she sat up on the concrete basketball court.

"That's not true. This park is merely two blocks from the high school." Mia answered. She placed her hands into the pockets of her dark green sweatshirt that read 'Hurricanes', indirectly cheering on her high school and it's silly natural disaster mascot. "If anything, this is the closest I've ever been to the school while ditching."

"Well, you aren't supposed to be ditching in the first place!" The older woman complained, pushing Mia into the direction of her black Sudan that was parked right outside the park entrance. She couldn't help but wonder how the woman could afford such a car with a minimal wage. "Now get in the car. We are going back to the school to call your aunt."

"You do realize that this can be considered kidnapping."

"Get in the car now, Mr. Takagi!"

"...yes, ma'am."

* * *

"Five detentions, 3 fights not including the one you started during lunch, and now six, no, _seven_ ditched school days!" Mia's aunt counted off, her hand disappearing into a bag of small powdered donuts. "What the hell is going on, Mia?"

However, the girl wasn't listening. Her chin placed in the palm of her hand, Mia was staring out of the living room window of her deceased grandmother's home, the faint breeze smell of the ocean making her eyes glaze over. Sleep was threatening her senses once more.

"Mia!" Her aunt called again, this time smacking the teenager on the back of her head to get her to wake up. Surprised, she put her hand where her relative had hit her and when she felt nothing but the silky strands of her black hair, she set the hand back down and lazily glared back at her aunt.

"Do you know how many pounds I've put on since you've come here? The money from post card contests, sweepstakes, and my own job gone in as little as seven months!" The ginger haired woman stuffed several mini donuts in her mouth and pointed at Mia with yet another one. "Stress eating. Because of you!"

Mia couldn't help but chuckle at the silly way her aunt was trying to prove her point. She couldn't help it! The only thing that woman can make you do is laugh!

"But Aunt Roxy," Mia spoke, using the name she had given her aunt as a child when she refused to call her as just Roxanne, "you don't look a day older than twenty five. There's absolutely no way that people would be able to tell that you have put on weight, even if you have."

"Well, aren't you just the sweetest." Roxanne gushed, her face turning a light shade of pink at the compliment. "Wait. I am mad at you."

The teen laugh out loud at that, standing up to grab a mini powdered donut for herself before plopping back onto the light blue couch in the living room.

"Mia..." Roxanne warned.

"I get it! I get it! I'll try my best to behave this time."

"That's what you said the last time! And the time before that, and the time before that!"

The silence that followed made Roxanne sigh in defeat as she sat down on the couch next to her niece, her hands covering her face. Mia took this time to grab the remote and turn on the television in front of them, flipping through Netflix as she finished her sweet treat.

"I just don't understand what is happening to you right now, Mia." Her aunt continued, "You used to be so well mannered and adorable every time you came to visit me and mom. Now it's like you're not even here. I can see you. I can touch you. But you're not here. You don't even act like yourself at school. I mean, skipping classes?! Give me a break, that's not like you. You do so well on your tests and quizzes but since the only ones you take are retests, all of your grades are in the 70's!"

"At least they aren't failing..." Mia mumbled, trying to look at the silver linings.

"They're still 70's."

Grumbling, Mia continued to search through Netflix trying to find an anime she hasn't watched yet. She tucked her feet and pulled her knees up to her face so that she could hide her chin as she did so, a habit she has had since her childhood whenever she didn't want people to see her pout.

"I don't know, maybe you just need to find something that will inspire you not to do things like this anymore." Roxy suggested, looking up at the fireplace that held many family photos over the past several years, including the years of her own childhood. "What about joining your school's basketball team? You did that when you were in middle school, didn't you?"

Mia stopped pushing the buttons on her remote when her aunt mentioned her basketball team, indirectly mentioning her old teammates as well.

"You and I both know that can never happen." She answered coldly, resuming her navigation.

"Well at least I tired." Roxy answered, mostly to herself. She placed her cheek in the palm of her hand and continued to stare at the one and only photo of Mia and her old basketball teammates in middle school.

It wasn't framed. In fact it just sat there leaning against another photo of Mia when she was a baby. The content of the picture was quite bizarre too, making Roxanne question if it really was a basketball team Mia joined in middle school.

"I see you staring..." Mia's voice suddenly spoke right beside Roxanne's face, making her scream loudly and jump out of her seat.

"What the hell, Mia?!"

The teenager, however, wasn't listening. Instead she just stood from her seat and walked over towards the fireplace to grab the old photo of her teammates. Staring at it lazily, she tossed the tv remote to her aunt before marching upstairs.

"You can have the tv. I'm gonna take a nap."

"Wait!" Her aunt's voice protested downstairs, "What about homework? Or tests? Do you have to study at all?!"

"I don't need it." Mia called back down before closing her bedroom door. Sliding down the old, white door of her room, Mia sighed, exhausted with today's events.

 _'Maybe taking a nap isn't such a bad idea after all.'_ The girl yawned.

Looking down at the photo in her hand, Mia recognized the familiar faces of the generation of Miracles. Their different colored hair illuminated each of their personalities with ease, highlighting their little quirks. Each person in the picture wore a light blue robe found at an Onsen. The ping pong table in the middle of the picture held both Aomine and Kise, each struggling with the weight on top of them. The weight, Murasakibara, just laid their lazily, a bag of chips in his hand as he lied on his side on top of the two men to face the camera. Midorima, who was off to the side, held a golden ping pong racket as his lucky idea for that day. His face was scrunched up, and his cheeks were tinted pink while his mouth hung wide open, showing that he was in the middle of yelling at someone in particular. That same person, with his hair a beautiful bright red, was Akashi, his eyes closed and his lips pulled up in a smirk. It seemed that he had taken the time to say something to Midorima right before the picture was taken. What he had said even Mia did not know since she was on the other side of the duo, but the flustered expression of Midorima was definitely something she thanked Akashi for.

Finally, Mia scanned over to the remaining three individuals of the picture. It was herself, with her deep blue eyes and her black hair shining even though it was much shorter than her long locks now. She wasn't grinning, or smirking, she wasn't even frowning or giving the camera an indifferent expression like she normally did. She was actually smiling. It was a small smile, but the bright look of mischief in her eyes made up for it. Momoi's arm was wrapped around her neck, forcing her to stay in place in case she tried to run away (which she did). Her other arm was wrapped around the phantom sixth man of the Generation of Miracles, Kuroko. He had a small ghost of a smile on his face as well. However, his was exceptionally harder to recognize. You had to look at the picture for a long period of time before you realized that he was indeed smiling. Momoi on the other hand was in the middle of laughing in the picture, her mouth spread in a large smile. Her cheek was resting on Kuroko's head, giving him a tighter squeeze than Mia.

She remembered that day.

And she really wishes she could get it back.

Mia stood up once more from her spot at the door and walked the short distance from the entrance to her bed, plopping down on the cozy and warm pink quilt that had belonged to her mother. Although not a fan of pink like most girls, Mia especially loved this quilt.

 _'I wonder if she smelled like this?'_ Mia thought, taking in the clean and refreshing scent of vanilla that came from the quilt. No matter how many times she washed it, it always smelled the same. It was nice.

Before Mia could drift off to sleep like she was planning, the back pocket of her jeans started to vibrate. She scowled, cursing the heavens for a brief moment for allowing cell phones into this world. Pulling out her white flip phone, Mia scrunched her eyes at the bright screen, trying to make out the Japanese name that showed up.

Kuroko Tetsuya.

She hesitated, scanning the katakana that spelled out her friend's name more than a hundred times, before finally opening the message that he had sent her.

 _'We lost.'_

It was like her heart had dropped down to her stomach.

For months, ever since she left, the two of them have been texting,each other with news about their lives. Although Mia tried her best to leave out all the times she has gotten into trouble or into fights, she admits that Kuroko's stories are much more exciting.

Except for this one.

He had told her about the basketball team at his high school qualifying for the InterHigh tournament. He even went on to tell her about how his team defeated Kise's basketball team in a practice match before the actual tournament and simultaneously beating Midorima's team in the competition. They even defeated Seiho High's team. It seemed like they were doing well, and it made Mia happy that Kuroko's dream was slowly coming true.

So what made it all shatter to pieces?

Before she could answer herself, Mia typed in the one name that quickly came to mind.

 _'Was it Aomine?'_

It only took about five minutes before Kuroko answered her back.

 _'Yes.'_

She wasn't surprised. If anything she was glad that it was that egotistical basketball player and his team that beat them instead of some other high school's team whom she barely knew about.

Slamming the white phone shut, Mia turned violently in her bed and closed her eyes. She would force herself to sleep if she had to.

The picture of the Teiko Middle School Basketball Team was forgotten on her nightstand, but it still haunted her like it happened yesterday.

She hated it.

* * *

"Good Morning, Mia." The bus driver greeted as the raven haired girl stepped onto the large yellow Twinkie she called a bus.

"Good Morning, John." Mia responded in English, giving the man a welcoming smile.

The two had become close friends over the course of one month. It all began when Mia accidentally fell asleep on the bus, missing her stop, and asked John to drop her off at the beach instead of school, claiming that it was too late to turn back. Since the beach was on the way to his office, John obliged, resulting in them always talking and chit chatting during drives, whether it was to school or to the arcade. It made Mia appreciate the man more since he didn't seem to be on anyone's side about whether she should be attending school or not.

"So where do you want me to drop you off today, Little Miss?"

She actually had to think about that. Mia was the only one to be picked up at her stop and it was the very first one so she had time to think about a good place to ditch to, but for some reason she actually felt...good.

"...I guess I'll just go to school today." She mumbled. Although quiet, she was still heard by the bus driver who laughed out loud at the chosen destination.

"Go to school?! What are you sick or something?!"

"No not sick." Mia answered, looking out the window, "I guess I just feel like something interesting is going to happen if I go there."

* * *

Going to school was the worst idea Mia ever had.

For the longest of times, the teenager had ditched or faked an illness to not got the the learning facility of hell. Also, instead of going to school in Japan in the spring, she had decided to go to school in America in the summer. This meant that she had even more time off from school than any normal student.

This also meant that she forgot how horrible and tiring school was.

"The total surface area of a regular pyramid is the sum of the areas of its lateral faces and its base. The general formula for the lateral surface area of a regular pyramid is where p represents..."

 _'Why the hell am I even in pre AP Geometry?'_ Mia cursed in her head, _'I thought Aunt Roxy signed me up for regular algebra. That damn woman!'_

It went like that the entire day.

Math

English

Humanities AP (Another difficult class chosen by Aunt Roxy)

Lunch

And finally, Art.

Although a genius in all subjects (besides art), Mia couldn't help but wonder how she managed to go to school like this every. Single. Day.

"So hungry..." Mia complained when lunch time finally came around. She really missed being able to bounce a basketball in the park during lunch time, no matter how much she sucked at actually getting the orange sphere in the basket. She could actually take naps in the park during lunch time too. Now she was stuck with having to focus on staying awake as she ate her lunch.

"Would you like some homemade brownies for lunch?" A peppy voice spoke up right by Mia's face, making her jump.

"Excuse me?" She asked

"The Basketball team made homemade brownies to sell to everyone this week! They are each one dollar and go to the funds for our competitions this year!" The girl answered. "Would you like to buy one for your lunch today?"

Mia looked at the girl, surprised that this event was happening all week without her knowledge. Inspecting the girl in front of her, she saw that she was indeed wearing a light blue basketball jersey with the number 10 on the front, right under the name 'Hurricanes'. It was obvious that this was a ridiculous and desperate effort in an attempt to raise money for their team since Mia heard that both the girls and boys basketball team weren't very good. However, before she had time to think clearly about wasting money on fattening foods like brownies for a team that isn't very skillful, Mia took out her wallet and pulled out one dollar bill.

"I'll be glad to." She said, smiling at the basketball girl. It seemed to make her extremely happy as the girl quickly picked up a brownie from the pile she had next to her and handed it to Mia, trading it for the dollar.

As Mia chowed down on her sweet treat, she stood silently by the table, watching as people came and went, buying brownies or just simply having a look. It seemed like business was doing well for the girl, and Mia turned on her foot to go back to her classroom, already full.

"Hey, have you heard about what happened to the basketball team last year?"

Mia stopped in her tracks, looking behind her to find where the mischievous voice came from. The source was a high schooler about two years older than Mia, making him a junior. It was clear that it wasn't his lunch period and that he was loitering in front of the brownie booth with his friend just for kicks.

"Oh you mean how they were completely dominated in the first round of the tournament? Yeah I heard. It's pretty sad how horrible and pathetic both teams are."

Both men began to snicker and point at the girl selling brownies, making more people around them stop and stare at the commotion.

"Too bad they don't have anything else they're good at! Then they would have actually meant something to this school!"

Mia looked over at the girl who was desperately selling brownies to her team and noticed how her eyes were glassy, tears threatening to fall down the side of her face.

It pissed her off.

"Yeah. Too-"

As if history had repeated itself, Mia rammed her fist into the face of one of the juniors, knocking him down and making him drop all of his books in his hands. If people weren't stopping to stare at the situation, they were now.

"What the hell is your problem?!" The guy asked, holding his cheek in his hand while his friend just gaped.

"Nothing." Mia answered, "You're just really annoying, you know that?"

"You little bitch!" A second voice behind Mia growled. Surprised, she turned her head one to have a fist hit her roughly, making her stumble and land on the wall that was on one side of the cafeteria. She quickly put her hand on her eye, where most of the pain was located, and looked back at the two men who were laughing and cracking their knuckles.

Well, she was right about one thing at least...

Something interesting did happen today.

* * *

Her hand hurt like a bitch.

Mia sat in the front seat of her aunt's dark blue jeep and waited for the woman to walk out of the hospital. Both Mia and the junior she had punched were sent to the building after Ms. Greenwood had contacted their guardians, making sure that they were well informed about the fight before they could leave.

 _'I totally won.'_ Mia thought as she looked down at her middle finger which had a splint wrapped around it, making her incapable of putting pressure on her right hand for the time being.

 _"She has a black eye, several bruises on her arms and shoulders, and it seems like she tore a ligament in her right middle finger.'_ Mia remembered the doctor telling her aunt, _"The only severe injury is the torn ligament and that will only take about six weeks to completely heal. Until then I recommend not getting into any more fights, Ms. Takagi."_

"I still totally won." The teenager repeated to herself after remembering the doctor telling her that the junior she punched received bruised ribs and a slight concussion after she threw him against one of the lunch tables, braking it in the process.

Yeah, she totally won.

The car door opening caught Mia's attention. Her aunt walked in and slammed the door shut before inserting the keys into the ignition. Instead of actually twisted the keys and waking up the car, she sighed and looked at Mia through her ginger bangs.

"Well, you are now expelled from that school, Mia." Roxanne announced, placing her hands on the steering wheel and leaning her head against them. "What am I going to do with you?"

Mia couldn't answer that question. She didn't know what to do with herself either. Silence fell in the car for several minutes. The only things Mia could focus on was the pain she felt in her finger and eye which was turning a nasty shade of purple. Finally, Roxanne's orange head lifted up and she looked straight at Mia with a serious face the teenager didn't know she had.

"Mia," Roxy began, taking a deep breath before she spoke again, "do you want to go back to Japan?"

The question hit her with as much force at the junior's punch. Didn't she come to America to get away from Japan? To not have to worry about the pressure she felt when she lived with her father over there? To not have to worry about having her heart broken again when she was a member of the basketball club at Teiko?

Basketball...

The wonderful sport Mia had been a part of for three years. The sport she fell in love with without even meaning to. The same sport she protected today like she did all those years ago.

"Yes."

The words surprised even herself as Mia answered her aunt's question, making her eyes go wide as her relative did the same thing.

"Really?" Roxanne asked

"...sure?"

It was like the actual sun was shining in the car with how much Roxanne was smiling.

"Well why didn't you say so in the first place?" She exclaimed, happily twisting the keys and waking up the jeep. "I knew something was up but I didn't know it was because you missed Japan!"

As they drove down the road back to the house, Mia ignored the rays of sunlight coming from her aunt and instead chose to do what she did best and daydream while staring out the window.

 _'Japan, huh?'_ She thought. She didn't even know that she wanted to go back to Japan. After all, her mind was still full of adrenaline from her fight. Maybe that's why she suddenly decided to go back.

"Will I be okay?" Mia mumbled mostly to herself. It seemed like her aunt had heard her though since she suddenly felt her hand placed on top of hers, giving it a good squeeze.

"You'll be fine." She reassured, smiling softly while still looking at the road. "I'll make arrangements so that you don't have to live with your father over there. I know how tough that may be for you if you were forced to go live with that man again."

Some bits of relief washed over Mia. It most certainly did help her if she didn't have to live under the pressure of her father.

"Besides," her aunt continued, pulling into the driveway of their house, "Maybe you'll meet your old friends from middle school!"

Mia's blood ran cold, and she quickly got out of the car as soon as the engine died. Meet everyone again? Make the choice whether to run away again or stand up to all of them? She really hoped she wouldn't have to do that. She really didn't want to do that.

But it seemed like she was.

As she entered the house and walked upstairs to her room, she began rummaging through her backpack and pulled out her white flip phone. She stared at it for a few minutes before opening it and flipping through the little contacts she had, searching for the one and only person of the Generation of Miracles who she could contact.

 _'So what was the name of the school you said you were attending, Tetsuya?'_

That picture from middle school was still on her nightstand when she hit the send button.

* * *

 **I have nothing to say about this chapter except that I hope my writing didn't suck horribly.**


	2. Those Weren't Parting Words

_"Mi-chan, hurry up! Akashi-kun said he wanted Kuroko-kun in the gym five minutes ago!" Momoi complained, tugging on Mia's arm as they quickly walked down the hallway of Teiko Middle School._

 _"I don't see why it was necessary to bring me along, though." Mia answered as they finally arrived at the faculty office in their search for the man Akashi had requested._

 _Quickly making her way over to the teacher, Momoi smiled brightly and finally let go of Mia's arm once they had stopped walking._

 _"Excuse me," she began, "we were requested to bring Kuroko Tetsuya to the gym. Do you know where we may find him?"_

 _"I'm Kuroko Tetsuya." A voice spoke up before the teacher could answer, leaving both girls in a state of confusion as they looked around the room for the source of the voice before finally landing on a pair of clear blue eyes that weren't there before._

 _"Woah!" Momoi exclaimed before jumping back and hitting the teacher's desk. Mia jumped slightly at the sudden presence as well. She didn't react the same as Momoi, but she did show more expression that day than she did any other day that week._

 _"Nice to meet you." Kuroko continued as if people being surprised of his presence was a normal thing. Which it was._

 _'He's totally invisible!' Mia exclaimed in her head, 'How the hell is he supposed to play basketball like this?!'_

 _Luckily for her, Kuroko was about to show how he managed to be accepted into the first string of the basketball team and just how worthy he was to keep that position._

* * *

"Ugh..." Mia's voice groaned in depth of her soft pillow, letting out all of the pent up frustration she had accumulated over the past few days.

She had to keep a note that when Aunt Roxy says she will make arrangements, she means that she's going to kick you out of the house with bags she packed herself and send you off to another country the next day without so much as a day of rest in between.

What's worse is that she even bought a new bed and couch for Mia's new apartment and made her deal with signatures and the rest of the work right when she walked in from her flight.

It was tiring as hell and it was only 4 o'clock.

"Why..." Mia grumbled once more before flipping over on her bed to stare up at the ceiling.

Everything was white. From the ceiling, to the walls, to the white tiled floors in the bathroom and the white countertops in the kitchen. It was a nice apartment for sure, with an extra guest room and large bathroom for herself, but Mia couldn't help but wonder if everything was moving too quickly for her.

As if to get her mind off of everything that just happened, Mia stood from her bed and began to open the boxes her aunt had packed and forced her to bring with her.

Plates cracked, hangers bent, clothes wrinkled and wires tangled.

 _'Does that woman not know how to pack?'_ Mia thought, holding up the two biggest pieces of a white china plate, _'What the hell am I supposed to do with broken plates and bent hangers?'_

Her dreams crushed and her right hand throbbing lightly again for handling objects too roughly, Mia dropped the broken plate and walked out of her room to grab her keys and bag. It seemed like she had to go shopping before she did anything else.

As she stuffed her cell phone inside her bag, Mia's fingers grazed over a piece of paper. Confused, she pull it out and recognized the middle school picture of her old teammates and herself. She looked around her new apartment before her eyes landed on the large, white fireplace in the large living room.

"First decoration." Mia declared, walking over and gently placing the frameless picture in the center of the mantle. The colorful heads of the Generation of Miracles already gave the room a splash of color and Mia couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the silly thought.

With the large mirror that hung above the mantle of the fireplace, Mia was able to see her reflection. Her black eye that she had received several days ago had reduced its swelling and the nasty shade of purple had toned down to a minimal shade, making her injury merely look like a large bruise on her cheekbone.

Other than that, her long black hair had wisps coming out of the french braid she created. Her deep blue eyes were full of sleep and her pale white skin seemed to have been tanned slightly since she lived near the beach for several months.

"Ugh..." Mia moaned again before turning on her heel and walking out her front door. She was really exhausted and just wanted to sleep!

 _'But,'_ Mia thought, walking down the street in the blazing heat of Japan, _'I may as well visit someone while I'm out.'_

* * *

 _"Kuroko, you will be a starter for this game."_

 _Mia could practically feel the teenager stiffen up and start to sweat as he reacted to the coach's words. This description would seem less like an understatement if Mia wasn't standing on the opposite side of the bench, away from Kuroko._

 _"Y-yes, sir." Kuroko answered, slowly standing up and unzipping his Teiko jacket._

 _Mia had to admit that even though the kid had amazing basketball skills, he just didn't seem fit to go off and start a game. Clutching her clipboard closer to her chest, she stared at Kuroko's descending back as he made his way to the middle of the court with the rest of the starters._

 _'His legs are even shaking.' Mia thought. 'If he keeps going like this, he's just going to fall and give himself a nosebleed.'_

 _As usual, the raven haired girl was correct. Within a few seconds of the first whistle, Kuroko's legs had failed him and he had fallen face first on the court, making a small trail of blood come out of his nose._

 _"Teiko member change!" the referee shouted, temporarily stopping the game._

 _"I'm sorry." Kuroko told Mia. While the coach and Momoi were busy discussing the game, Mia was in charge of dealing with the injured player before her. It seemed like it was a leftover job given to rookie newcomers such as herself. After all, She just joined the basketball club a little over a week ago._

 _"Why are you telling me that?" Mia responded, handing him a handkerchief to wipe his nose. "You should be apologizing to your team and your coach. Im just the assistant manager in charge of getting people drinks and helping take care of the injured."_

 _The silence that followed made their little interaction a bit awkward for Mia. Instead of having to watch him dab at his nose while waiting for his response like a total idiot, she sat down on the bench next to him, grabbing her clipboard and looking through the numbers and percentages written on the papers it held._

 _"I'm sorry." Kuroko's voice spoke once more, startling the teenager._

 _"I told you not to say that to me!" She scolded._

 _"I don't think you understand the importance of your job."_

 _Did he just ignore her?!_

 _"Those numbers you came up with during practice when we were discussing our opponent today, they were incredible! I believe you have a real talent with observing Takagi-san. And not just with basketball, with everything else you do as well. You know just what drink to buy everyone even after meeting them for one day and you know exactly where people are injured even if they don't say anything. So, you deserve an apology as well."_

 _Mia had to admit, she most certainly did not expect a compliment like that coming out of the invisible boy. They never even spoke once to each other ever since they met and he just had to catch her off guard like that!_

 _"...I still think you should apologize to the others when they come back." Mia responded, keeping her composure._

 _"Okay."_

* * *

"Kuroko!"

Before the blue haired boy could react in time, a large, round, basketball snacked into the side of his head, sending him tumbling to the ground below him.

"Kuroko-kun!" Coach Riko's voice echoed throughout the gym as she and the captain, Hyuga, ran over the player on the ground.

"Kuroko, are you alright?" Hyuga asked. Riko had grabbed his head as he sat up and inspected for any serious damage. When there seemed to be none, she sighed in relief.

"I'm fine." Kuroko answered, rubbing the spot where the basketball had hit him.

The other team members had gathered next to their captain as Kuroko stood on his feet once more and walked over to the bench to drink some water, Riko's orders,

"Is he sure he's fine?" Koga asked their captain, a look of concern forming on his cat like face, "He's usually never zones out during practice. I wonder if the match against Aomine affected him more than it did to us."

Hyuga nodded, looking towards Kuroko with the rest of the team.

"Alright, enough standing there looking like a bunch of fools! Get back to practice or I'll make quadruple your training regimen tomorrow!" Riko shouted, blowing her pink whistle.

The boys scrambled around at her command. She had already tripled their regimen after losing, they didn't want her to add even more to it.

Meanwhile, Kuroko sat on the bench watching his senpais play against each other as they worked at Riko's command. Although the match against Touou had indeed affected him greatly, it was the conversation he had with his friend Takagi Mia several days ago that was making him zone out.

 _'So what was the name of the school you said you were attending, Tetsuya?'_ He remembered her text to him saying. It seemed quite odd for someone who had moved to America before the end of her third year of middle school to be asking him a question like that. However, he answered it nonetheless, ignoring the horrible feeling he was getting when he told her.

 _'Okay.'_ She had replied. Normally, the blue haired teenager wouldn't be concerned as he trusted Mia more than anyone else he knew. But since she never responded to any of his texts after that day, he slowly became aware of the fact that something dangerous was about to happen.

"Kuroko-kun, are you feeling any better?" Riko asked the phantom sixth man, bringing him back to reality, "Are you ready to play again?"

"Yes." Kuroko answered, setting down his water bottle and standing up from the bench. He decided to stretch his arms a little as Riko's blew her pink whistle at the team.

"Readjust!" She shouted, "Kuroko is back in!"

"I don't think you want to do that just yet!" Another voice shouted back, surprising everyone at the unfamiliar tone.

The only person who seemed to have identified the voice was Kuroko, who had frozen in place with his eyes widening in shock.

"How long have you been standing there?!" Hyuga shouted at the figure on the gym stage in surprise, "More importantly who are you?!"

Kuroko didn't know whether he should be happy or not when he turned around and saw the familiar black hair of his friend since middle school. It seemed like her hair reached her lower back. The last time he saw her, it only reach her mid back. He could only make out the deep blue color of one of her eyes since the other was mostly hidden by the large bruise the was placed on her cheekbone. Her arms were crossed on top of her chest and she narrowed her eyes at Kuroko, letting everyone know that she was only paying attention to him.

"Mia!" The basketball player said in the most surprised voice his teammates have ever heard him use.

As the teenage girl jumped down from the stage and made her way to Kuroko, Riko and the other team members continuously looked back and forth between the two. It seemed like no one knew exactly what to do.

"What are you doing ba-!" Before Kuroko could finish asking his question, Mia had grabbed his face with one hand and pulled him down to closer to her, stunning everyone in the room.

Kuroko wasn't particularly tall, but when it came to Mia, he felt like his height was pretty normal. If he had to say, she was probably as tall as his coach, maybe a tad bit taller.

 _'She grew taller.'_ He thought as Mia studied his face intently.

After a full minute of staring, Mia let go of Kuroko's face and let out a large sigh. As Kuroko opened his mouth to say something, thinking that she was completely finished, her hand made contact with his face.

"Kuroko!" Everyone shouted as the male fell to his knees on the gym floor, clutching his cheek which was now bright red and stung after being slapped. The girl who committed the _"crime"_ was crouched down beside him, holding her right hand, which she had used to slap her friend, in pain. Upon closer inspection, the others noticed that there was a small splint on her middle finger, causing the unnecessary pain to be exerted on her poor hand.

 _'A torn ligament?!'_ Riko screamed in her head after using her ability as a coach and trainer to examine the girl's finger. _'And she used that hand to slap Kuroko! Is she stupid?!'_

"Hello." The girl's voice spoke meekly, catching the coach's attention. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Takagi Mia. Nice to meet you."

The fake and forced smile that crept up on the girl's lips made Riko sigh while the other boys of the Seirin Basketball Team stared astonished by today's events.

 _'Yup. She an absolute moron.'_ Riko thought _'Lucky for me, I at least know how to deal with them...slightly.'_

* * *

 _"Your muscles are damaged. What are you playing? Basketball? It happens sometimes, though you have a good build."_

Kagami Taiga sat on the roof of a school, remembering the words his doctor had told him when he went to earlier that day while spinning a basketball on his finger.

 _"Actually, jumping puts a lot of stress on your feet. Your body still can't compensate for that. You need flexibility and muscle training. But before that, you need complete rest for two weeks."_

"It makes me restless." Kagami said to himself, moving the basketball so that it was now spinning on his wrist.

 _'But the problem is what comes after. What do I do? What do I do to become stronger?!'_

The redhead only hoped that some kind of miracle would be sent his way.

* * *

"So you were told not to take off this splint for six weeks because of a torn ligament, and you automatically think that slapping someone across the face is okay?!" The coach shouted at Mia while examining her hand for any further damage.

"I just forgot I had it on, that's all." Mia whimpered.

The girl in front of Mia didn't seem that much taller than her. In fact, the only reason why she was able to tower over Mia was because she forced her to sit on the bench as she examined her hand. While she did this, she also took the time to look over he black eye which was healing quite nicely.

"What's with kids these days being so reckless all the time?" The girl, Riko, growled.

"You do realize that you are also considered as 'one of these kids', right?" Mia answered when Riko dropped her hand.

Choosing to ignore her statement instead of acknowledging it, Riko began to shout out commands to the boys of her team who have been playing against each other since their invisible man got slapped.

The same man who was currently sitting next to Mia on the bench with a pack of ice on his cheek. He had to admit, he wasn't expected a slap to the face when he woke up this morning. It made things even worse that she hit him with a metal splint on her hand, making the impact hurt that much more.

Kuroko glanced at his friend next to him, noticing how the large bruise on her face was much worse up close. He couldn't imagine how much it must have hurt receiving that. However,he could imagine one thing for sure...she had gotten into another fight.

Choosing to break the silence between them, Kuroko opened his mouth, only to be beaten to the punch.

"I'm sorry I hit you." Mia spoke first, making Kuroko shut his mouth quickly before anything came out.

"I wasn't expecting you to slap me when we met face to face again." He dead panned. But just as he suspected, Mia didn't falter.

"It was meant as a wake up call for you." She explained, keeping her eyes on the other team members. "It seemed like you needed something to pump you up again."

"I don't see how hitting me gets me pumped up."

"I told you it was a wake up call!"

"But you just said that you wanted to pump me up."

"Gah! You're so difficult, Tetsuya!" Mia sighed, putting her face in her hands. Kuroko smirked while keeping his eyes on his teammates.

She never changed.

"Kuroko-kun!" Riko called over, "Are you ready to play now?"

"Yes!" Kuroko answered, standing up and setting down the ice pack on the bench as started to put on his practice jersey again.

"Do you have any more complaints about him playing again?" Riko asked the girl dangerously as if challenging her to say anything else about her decisions.

"...no I'm good."

"Why did you hesitate?!"

"Well then, I'll be going." Kuroko interrupted before jogging back on to the court to play again.

Riko stood beside the strange girl who had interrupted their practice and glanced at her from the corner of her eye. The serious and calculating expression on Mia's face almost startled Riko as much as Kuroko popping up out of no where.

"Well, I guess I should get going as well." Mia spoke, standing up from the bench. "Tell Tetsuya that I'll text him later on tonight and that I'll see him tomorrow. I still need to go and buy plates. Later."

"Wait!" Riko called out before Mia could took another step away from her. "Uh, back then, why did you slap Kuroko-Kun? I mean, he's your friend right? Why would you suddenly do something like that?"

The question seemed to stun Mia for a little bit. To be quite honest, she thought it was the most obvious answer ever. But as she studied Riko's face and noticed that she really couldn't figure out her reasoning, Mia's face grew calmer.

"He has slight dark circles under his eyes." she stated "His breathing is also irregular, meaning he's pushing himself harder than usual. Even those passes that I saw earlier were made using less force than usual, and we're choppier and that was _before_ he got hit with a basketball."

Riko couldn't believe her ears.

 _'D-Did this girl notice all of that within a few minutes of observing?!'_

"I would go into much more detail than that, but unfortunately I'm not a part of this basketball team. In fact I'm not even fully registered into this school yet either." With that the girl turned on her heel and began walking away from Seirin's coach, "It was nice meeting all of you!"

Hyuga and the other males slowly stopped playing to watch the raven haired girl exit their gym, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her hoodie.

 _'Just who is this girl?'_

Kuroko looked at his friends small back until his eyes widened slightly, making him take a few steps forward despite scaring his other teammates.

"Mia!" He called over to his friend. But, it was too late...

She had already stepped on her untied shoelace.

"Kya!" Mia cried out, falling flat on her face in front of everyone, making them all wince at her sudden clumsiness.

 _'A total moron, that's what she is.'_

* * *

 _'Why the hell do I have to keep hurting myself whenever I try to look cool?'_ Mia questioned herself, filing through the different beverages of the convenience store. She had decided it was too dangerous for her to be buying brand new _breakable_ plates when she was still exhausted from her unplanned trip. After all, she almost broke her nose today, she didn't want to break anything else.

"Hey." A rough voice sounded from behind her, startling her. When she turned around and came face to face with a broad chest, she couldn't help but gulp. Anyone would be terrified if the only way you could see a person's face was to crane your neck. Mia, however, used her skills from middle school and kept her composure.

"You're in the way." The teenager (or at least she hoped he was a teenager) continued. No matter what angle Mia saw him from, she could've sworn he was scowling at her. "Can you move...please?"

"Oh! Sorry 'bout that!" Mia responded, jumping out of the way so that the red headed man in front of her could grab his sports drink.

"Thanks." He said to her as he walked passed, making Mia hold her breath in until he turned the corner to the cash register. It was like his entire presence put her on the edge, like she had to watch out for his movements.

 _'He's like a freaking beast!'_

"What! It's 550¥?!" The same rough voice cried out at the front. As if he was yelling at her and was threatening to rob her, Mia grabbed all of her food she had stocked up and held it against any harm. However, once she realized that he wasn't in fact yelling at her, she couldn't help but poke her head around the corner to see what was going on.

"I'm sorry sir, but the prices on this particular sports drink have been risen because of the amount of people buying them." The cashier explained, bowing in apology, "It seems that because of a certain tournament these kinds of drinks have become more valuable these days."

"Shit! I only brought 300¥ with me!" The wild beast growled, scratching the back of his head.

"Here I'll pay." Mia suddenly piped up, scaring both men in front of her.

"Woah! When did you get there?!" The beast asked as she set her items on the counter as well. Mia and the cashier payed him no mind and continued with the process of checking out the few items plus the beast's drink.

"1080¥." The cashier stated. Mia quickly pulled out the right amount of money from her wallet and grabbed the two bags in front of her, ignoring the slight pain she felt in her right hand.

The redhead whom Mia just helped out continued to stare at her gesture until he realized that she had already open the convenience store doors and left the building.

"H-Hey!" He called, quickly following her in an attempt to catch up. "Where are you go-"

"What did you think I would just take your drink and leave?"

"Whoa!" He cried out almost toppling over her small body which was planted firmly on the ground in front of the store. It was much closer than he thought it would be.

"Here." Was the only thing Mia said as she handed the stranger his blue colored sports drink from one of the bags.

 _'Shit. My hand is really starting to hurt now.'_ Mia cursed. She tried to adjust the bag so that she wouldn't be putting as much pressure on her middle finger, but it was hopeless _'I wonder if I can make it to the apartment before it kills me. It should be close by, but still.'_

"Thanks..." The beast in front of her responded, taking the drink from her. When he didn't turn and walk away like Mia had planned and just continued to stare at her suspiciously, she started to feel a little nervous. She almost felt like Kuroko during his first game.

Almost.

"Are you okay?" The man asked, surprising the teenage girl.

"Oh I'm perfectly fine. Why do you ask?"

The tension grew between them as the guy in front of her narrowed his eyes and pointed on his face where her black eye was, indicating that he was talking about her injuries.

"Oh, this?" Mia asked, reaching up with her left hand to feel her cheek. "Ya I got it a few days ago in a fight at my school. This too!" Emphasizing her torn ligament, she lifted her right arm and showed the stranger her metal splint. It was a bad idea if she did say so herself, because now her hand hurt twice as more as it did before. "My eye should be all healed up in about another week or so, so I'm okay."

"What about the other one?"

"What?"

"Your hand. How long until that is healed up?"

Mia didn't want to say. Not only because this man was a stranger who she just met, but also because she was afraid that she was going to get a lecture from said stranger about how she shouldn't be pushing herself and using her hand too much when it should be resting.

"Oi!" The guy repeated, slightly frustrated at how long she was taking to answer him.

"...six weeks." Mia finally answered, turning on her heel quickly so that she could tell the man a nice goodbye before leaving him in the dust.

It seemed like he beat her to it. Before she could even take one step from her spot, the bag that was in Mia's right hand was snatched away and was now in the possession of the red haired beast.

"Wha-!" Mia was speechless, "Hey! Those are mine! I payed for your drink, the least you can do is, I don't know, _not_ rob me of my only dinner tonight!"

"Shut up! I'm just walking you home, geez!" The beast defended himself, moving backwards in time before the small girl's foot came in contact with his shin in a swift kick. "You should live close by right? Where do we turn? Left or right?"

Too surprised to say anything, Mia closed her mouth and just stared at the man in front of her. It seemed like he noticed this and became quite flustered as he asked her again, this time much rougher.

"Oi! Answer me! Do we turn left or right from here?"

"...left." Mia finally answered keeping her eyes on him.

"Alright." He responded before turning on his heels and walking in the opposite direction she answered with.

"My left not yours!" Mia yelled, catching the man before he went any further.

As the redhead froze in place and turned to walk in the correct direction this time, Mis couldn't help but notice the small tint of pink on his cheeks under the street light.

 _'Ha! He embarrassed himself!'_ Mia laughed in her head, stifling a giggle from coming out of her mouth.

"Thank you." Mia said, catching up with the tall human being as he trudged beside her with her bag of goodies in his hand. "But, my apartment is literally around this corner so I could have handled this myself."

"Well you did my my drink for me. I don't have enough money to pay you back so this is the least I can do. Besides, who the hell carries bags with a broken hand."

"It's just torn ligament and it's only in my middle finger."

"Torn ligament?! That's even worse!"

"Not really. You get a cast with a broken bone and you know what you're restricted to do with that limb. I only get a splint and have to find out on my own what I can handle and what I can't."

"So you've broken a bone too?"

"Yup!" Mia answered too cheerfully, making her companion look at her with a weird face.

"I don't get women." Was all he said before they both continued walking towards Mia's apartment in comfortable silence.

Once they finally turned the corner and spotted the huge apartment complex where Mia lived in, she jogged up ahead and waited for the beast on the front steps of the entrance.

"This is it. I can carry everything from here." Mia said, grabbing her bag from the man's grasp before he could protest. "Thank you again...um..."

"Kagami." The rough voice responded as she searched for a name "Kagami Taiga."

"Tiger?" Mia asked, curious of his name.

"No Taiga."

"Tiger."

"Taiga."

"Tiger."

" _Taiga."_ Mia could tell that Kagami was getting passed off at her purposefully getting his name wrong as she noticed the small veins on his neck popping out. This just made her smirk as she paused before answering again.

"Tiger."

"Whatever! Just shut up already!" Kagami yelled, making Mis laugh out loud.

"I'm sorry! It's just that Tiger suits you a lot better in my opinion. You give off this kind of presence of a beast, ya know?"

"What?" He asked, looking at Mia confused. She saw that look before. It was the same look that others gave her when they thought she was crazy.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it, Tiger."

"Oi."

Before he could start yelling at her again, Mia stuck her good hand out, the plastic bag still around her wrist.

"I'm Takagi Mia. It was nice meeting you...Tiger."

Kagami glared at her again for using that nickname with him. However, he knew that he wouldn't be able to stop her since this was most likely the last time they would meet. Instead, he just raised his hand and grabbed her hand, enveloping her tiny hand with his warmth, making Mia realize how cold she felt before.

"Yeah. Nice knowing ya." The redhead answered before finally letting go and walking down the steps of the building. "Thanks again for the drink."

It was a strange thing Mia felt, but as Kagami's back disappeared from her sight, she couldn't help but feel like those weren't parting words.

* * *

 **I want you all to know that I can't Engrish and I hope you can forgive me if some parts have horrible grammar! But, thank you all for your nice praises and I hope you can enjoy more of this story soon!**


	3. Names

"Suzuki Kei?"

"Here."

"Tachibana Miho?"

"Here."

"Takagi Mia?"

...

"She's not here, Sensei."

"Seriously? That's the third time this week." The teacher scribbled an 'X' next to Mia's name, indicating that the student was not in his class. His deep scowl and rough lines in his face let the rest the class know that this Mia girl was certainly being punished once she showed her face.

 _If_ she ever showed her face.

"You'd think that a new student would actually show up to class to deliver a first impression rather than just skip."

Finishing up role and slamming the filled out notebook on his desk, the teacher finally started the lesson, not noticing the worried expression on his blue haired, invisible student in the back.

Nor the sleeping red headed beast who sat in front of him.

* * *

"Keep it tight! Make sure that no one is about to get through!" Kaijo High School's basketball team captain, Kasamatsu Yukio, continuously shouted to his underclassmen. "Kise!"

A blur of blonde hair rushed past several other teammates to receive the flying orange ball thrown by his senpai, dunking it into the large hoop several steps later.

"Good work! Everyone take a 5 minute break!"

The blonde supermodel, Kise Ryota, breathed heavily as he grabbed his water bottle and squirted the refreshing drink into his mouth. Noticing the slight movement of his phone vibrating, he quickly grabbed it and checked the name of the sender. When it was only his mother asking if he would stay late after practice, Kise sighed.

Next to him, Kasamatsu eyed the kohai. It was always normal for the blonde's phone to be vibrating, whether it was from a crazy fan girl or just his parents. However, it was always a certain time of the day after Kise sent a message to someone that he would scramble to the phone next time it vibrated. It was as if he was expecting a reply from someone.

Finally frustrated by his pouting underclassmen, Kasamatsu stood up from his seat and sprayed Kise with the water from his water bottle, making the supermodel squeal like a little girl and fall on his back from the sudden freezing temperature of the water.

"Why, Kasamatsu-senpai?!"

"Because you're annoying, that's why!" The dark haired senior answered, his voice booming.

The other team members just quietly went about their business. They were already used to the small one sided scuffles between their captain and ace player.

"Stop playing on your goddamn phone and take practice seriously!" Kasamatsu continued, "You actually _want_ to win Winter Cup, don't you?"

The fact that the blonde was texting during practice didn't actually bug the captain as much as it should've been. He was actually quite used to it by now. It was the fact that Kise was crouched on the ground with his back towards his senpai, _not paying attention_ _to what he was saying_ , that drove Kasamatsu into a mighty rage.

"PAY ATTENTION, BRAT!"

"Kasamatsu-senpai, please!" Kise begged, making his senpai pause at his pleading voice. "You can beat me all you want but let me at least put my phone back in my bag! If I keep holding on to it, they're both going to break!"

"Both?" Needless to say, Kasamatsu was very confused.

Like a little puppy showing his master his favorite toy, Kise quickly stood up and showed his senpai his phone. Sure enough, there were _two_ key chains that dangled from the bottom of his phone. One held a small, ceramic basketball while the other had a small microphone. Both were shining under the gym lights and Kasamatsu was able to see the small details that went into both chains, amazing him slightly. It was obvious that these were done by a professional.

It was still completely stupid to Kasamatsu Yukio.

"Get back to practice!" The captain yelled, kicking Kise in the stomach.

"But you said we were on break!"

"Break's over for you!"

"Kasamatsu-senpai!"

* * *

 _"Takagi-san."_

 _The familiar sound of her name being called brought the young middle schooler back to reality. It seemed like she was dozing off again while working._

 _'Dammit! I have to rest when I get home.' Mia thought, 'Father would be very upset if I fell asleep during a meeting.'_

 _"Takagi-san." The voice called her name again, making the young girl jump when this time it was right next to her ear._

 _"Akashi-kun!" Mia exclaimed when she finally turned around to face the basketball team's vice captain. Regaining her composure, she placed her hands in her lap and tucked one foot behind the other in her seat like she always did when speaking to her father. Actually, that wasn't enough to express how Mia felt. With the similar family background and tone of voice, Mia always felt like she_ was _talking with her father when it came to Akashi Seijuro._

 _"Was there something you needed?" Mia asked, looking at the red haired male in the eye as she spoke._

 _"Yes." Akashi answered "There is a student who has just been accepted into the first string and will be starting practice with us next week."_

 _Mia's eyes widened slightly at the news. It wasn't like finding new talent was rare, in fact the Teiko Basketball Team always had new students entering the second or third string every week. However, to have someone enter the first string that easily, it was like a new monster had appeared._

 _"I want you to welcome him and observe him for us." Akashi continued, "Tell us if he's worth being made into a starter or not."_

 _"...Okay." Mia answered, receiving an approving chuckle from the man in front of her._

 _"His name is Kise Ryota." The vice captain said as he turned and walked to the door of the classroom, "Show him a good time."_

 _Mia remembered Akashi's eyes both being the same color back then._

* * *

"Mia!"

"Ugh!" Mia woke up suddenly, jerking on her spot on the roof. Everything was fuzzy since she opened her eyes so quickly, but soon enough, she was able to make out the light blue head of hair that belonged to her dear friend.

"Good morning, Tetsuya." The girl drowsily greeted, yawning as her friend sighed.

"Actually, it the afternoon now. It's also lunch time."

"No way! Really?!"

To show that he wasn't lying, Kuroko held up his small bento and a thermos that held soup, making the young girl drool at the sight.

"You shouldn't have woken me up during the lunch period, Tetsuya!" Mia complained as her friend sat down next to her. "Now I won't be able to fall asleep again with the smell of food!"

"I don't think you should be falling asleep at school at all." Kuroko scolded but handed Mia the thermos anyway. The teenager happily took the offering and began drinking the amazing miso soup that it held, stealing bits of Kuroko's lunch so that she could balance it out.

A week had passed since her arrival in Japan. Her black eye had finally disappeared, allowing both of her deep blue eyes to be seen on her face. It seemed like an eternity since she last received the injury and sometimes she even forgot that she even had it at one point. It was only when Mia saw the metal splint on her middle finger that she remembered about the fight and about the facial injury.

"I still need to eat lunch too." Kuroko piped up, sacking Mia's hand away from one of his last two mini sandwiches.

"Sorry." Mia laughed, trying to lighten the mood. However, it seemed like her best friend was in a very bad mood, his usually indifferent expression actually having frown lines.

"Is everything alright?" She tried asking, but was startled when Kuroko quickly shipped his head in her direction.

He continued to eye Mia, making the girl feel very uncomfortable under the invisible man's stare. When he finally swallowed the small amount of food he had taken, he looked down.

"You shouldn't be skipping classes."

His words hit Mia like a ton of bricks. It weird how when everyone told her the same thing in America, she would always brush it off, but when Kuroko said it, it was like she just got hit by a train.

"I know." Mia answered, "But I guess old habits die hard."

"What do you mean?" Kuroko asked, looking at her questionably.

"You know. I did it all the time in America so I guess I'm just used to doing it."

"You skip classes in America too?"

Wide eyed, Mia looked at her friend and finally realized the mistake she made.

She never told him she skipped classes.

"Crap." Mia mumbled, scratching the back of her head as she stood up from her spot. She brushed off the crumbs from her new Seirin uniform, the blue sweater, white skirt and black stockings fitting perfectly on her body, and grabbed the blue school bag next to her.

"You know, I think I'm going to head home for today. I'll come to school tomorrow. Promise."

"But will you be skipping classes again, Mia?"

"...depends."

Kuroko didn't say anything after that. He just watched with a worried expression as his friend exited the roof and left him all alone.

Managing to avoid any run ins with teachers, Mia left through the front gates of the school and began walking in the direction of her apartment.

 _'Maybe I can have some Maiubo when I get home."_ Mia thought, still really hungry.

She pulled out her phone to check what time it was and noticed that she had one unread message. Thinking it was from Roxanne asking how she was (again), she quickly opened the message, not wanting to keep her waiting. When she, instead, saw that the sender's name was in katakana, she froze,

 _'Good Morning, Micchi! How are you?'_

Mia couldn't help but playfully sigh. Everyday, Kise's messages always started off the same.

Being careful of her surroundings, Mia continued to walk in the direction of her home while reading the new message.

 _'I'm feeling very good today! Exams are finally over and I managed to pass all my classes. This means that I'm able to play in the Winter Cup! ^-^_

 _The weather here is fairly good too. It's not too hot, but still not cold. You can already tell that it's going to be a good winter._

 _Oh! I forgot to tell you about the inter high tournament! My team and I will go head to head with Touou Academy soon! I'm really excited for it!_

 _Aominecchi was always strong.'_

Mia stopped walking and stared at her phone. Her eyes wide, she continuously read the same sentence over and over again.

 _Aomine was always strong._

 _'Kise and Aomine?'_ Mia wondered, frowning at her phone as she kept reading.

 _'I wish you would have seen the game though! I played for you out there! 3_

 _Actually, I wish you will see me play in the tournament, Micchi._

 _I wish you were here..._

 _ANYWAY, that's all the news I have for today! I hope you are well wherever you are!_

 _-Kise Ryota_

 _P.s I still have that present you gave to me! ;)_

His messages always ended the same way too.

As Mia stopped in front of a red light, she pondered Kise's words. If it was true that he lost to Aomine, then that would only mean that it wasn't any different than how it was at Teiko. No one was able to defeat Aomine back then. However, if Mia's prediction from before she left was true, then Aomine must have gotten stronger more quickly than anyone could have imagined.

And Mia was always right.

Even though the light in front of her turned green, Mia quickly turned on her heel and began to run down the sidewalk back to Seirin High School. Running until she thought her lungs would explode, Mia entered the school grounds once more and continued on even when the bell signaling the next class period rang.

She ran past teachers exiting the staff room and ignored their yells of annoyance. All she had in mind was actually finding her classroom.

 _'1-B. 1-B. 1-B. Ah!'_

Skidding to a halt and almost tripping on herself in the process, Mia stood in front of her classroom. Red faced and panting heavily, Mia contemplated on what she was going to say.

 _'Crap!'_ She thought clutching her chest _'I did this without really thinking! What the hell am I supposed to say when I walk into the classroom extremely late?! I probably look horrible too! I mean I took a nap for half a day and ran about half a mile here! I should just turn back and do this tomorrow!'_

Turning around quickly, Mia quickly walked away from the classroom door.

 _Aomine was always strong_

The girl stopped walking and stared at her feet as she remembered why she came back to school in the first place.

Understanding once again what she needed to do, the girl grumbled and turned back towards her classroom.

 _'Well, here goes nothing.'_ Mia decided, not even trying to fix her appearance.

Grabbing the door handle, she slid the door open, grabbing the attention of twenty or so teenagers and the one teacher. All eyes were on her disheveled self and she felt very uncomfortable with that.

The only face she seemed to recognize in the small crowd was Kuroko who was sitting in the far corner next to the window.

He was very surprised that she had decided to come back to school and was even more surprised that she showed up looking like a mess. He literally saw her twenty minutes ago. What could she have possible done to end up looking like that?

"Who are you?" The teacher asked, roughly. He wasn't very happy having his lecture being interrupted.

"Takagi Mia." Mia answered, entering the classroom slowly.

"Oh, so _you're_ the one who has been skipping all my lectures." The Sensei said, "You should be ashamed of yourself."

"I'm very sorry!" Mia apologized and bowed before the teacher could continue, startling him and the other students. "I promise I won't do it again!"

"Ah...well...um..." He wasn't expecting the new student to be so formal with him. In fact he expected her to be some sort of punk since she had skipped several lessons already even when she was new. "I guess...just don't do it again. Next time it will be supplementary lessons."

"Yes sir!" Mia answered, straightening up and walking away from the teacher, looking for an empty seat to sit in. When she found one in the far corner, opposite of Kuroko, she began heading towards it.

"Hold on a moment!" The teacher barked, stopping Mia in her tracks. "Even though you skipped some classes doesn't make you any less new than if you didn't. So please..." He moved out of the way, gesturing for her to take the spotlight. "Introduce yourself to the class."

Knowing that what awaited her was inevitable, Mia sighed, walking over to the front of the class. She looked forward and adjusted her bag which was starting to fall off her shoulder. With her messy, black hair, shifted sweater and metal splint, Mia definitely gave an amazing first impression to her classmates.

"I'm Takagi Mia." The girl introduced, "Nice to meet you."

The whole class was silent as they stared at the new girl in front of them. None of them really knew how they were supposed to deal with a situation like this.

"Kagami Taiga! Don't sleep in my class!" The teacher suddenly bellowed, making Mia jump at the volume.

 _'Kagami?'_ The teenager thought, looking into the direction her new Sensei had yelled. Sure enough, the large body of the red headed beast in the seat in front of Kuroko started to shift.

"Good morning." Kagami yawned, stretching in his seat and making him look even bigger than he already was.

"It is the afternoon." Sensei said sternly as he stood in front of the basketball player, making Kagami flinch as he realized that he had been caught and in front of the entire class no less. Snickers and giggles were quickly spreading throughout the room as everyone watched in amusement.

"Come see me after class."

"Yes." Kagami's eyes wandered until they landed on Mia who was still standing at the front of the room. Eyes widening, he quickly stood up from his seat, knocking the chair over and pointed at the new girl. "You!"

"Hello~!" Mia greeted, smiling and waving at Kagami like it was nothing, "We meet again, Tiger!"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Eh~? But it's cute~!"

"And stop using that kind of voice on me! It's annoying!"

"Both of you be quiet!" Sensei angrily scolded, shutting up both teenagers. "Takagi, your seat is in that corner over there. I hope you don't give me any more trouble for the rest of the year."

Mia quietly walked over to the opposite corner of the room, trying not to anger her teacher any more as Kagami picked up his chair and sat back down in his own seat. It seemed like she was already classified as a troublemaker and she really didn't want to do any more damage.

Sitting down in her seat, Mia quickly took out her textbooks and pencils, simultaneously taking out her white phone and hiding it behind all her other supplies.

 _'Do you think you can take me with you to basketball practice today?'_ She typed out in the new message to Kuroko, _'There's something I want to discuss with your coach.'_

After pressing send, the raven haired girl set the white device in the corner of her desk, not expected a reply from her friend until the next break. He was a goody two shoes like that.

However, after about two minutes of just staring at her notebook without really writing anything down, Mia looked back at her phone and picked it up once more.

It was about time she finally gave a certain blonde a reply to all of his messages.

* * *

 _"Kise Ryota."_

 _The sudden, sweet voice made Kise's chest tighten. The sudden reaction surprised himself and he turned around to see who it was that suddenly called him by his full name. When he saw a small pale girl with thick, short, black hair and deep blue eyes standing in doorway of his classroom, he thought it was just another fan girl._

 _He thought._

 _"And you are?" Kise asked, naturally using his charm on the girl. However, when all she did was stare back at him, her mouth forming a thin line, the blonde had to admit that he felt very uncomfortable._

 _"Takagi Mia." The girl finally answered, making Kise let out a large breath of air he didn't realize he was holding._

 _"I was requested to escort you to the gym for basketball practice. Today is the first day you practice with the other first strings."_

 _"Wait wait wait!" Kise exclaimed, stopping Mia before she could walk away from the door._

 _"What is it?"_

 _"How exactly do you know all of this stuff?!" The model asked, grabbing his bag and walking up to the stranger so that he was right in front of her. She wasn't particularly small, but she wasn't that fall either. She only reached to his shoulder. "I know that the basketball club already has a manager and that she's not you."_

 _"I'm the assistant manager. Normally it's Sacchan's job to come and get the new basketball members, but I was personally given this opportunity for this occasion."_

 _"Eh?"_

 _"Eh~? Why is Taka-chin here~?" A rather lazy voice piped up from behind Kise, startling the supermodel._

 _"Hello Mura-Bo. I've come to take Kise-kun to basketball practice."_

 _"Mura-Bo?!" The blonde shouted, confused by how this robot like girl greeted the giant._

 _"Yes. Murasakibara Atsushi." Mia answered, never wavering from the sudden outburst. "His name is too long and quite bothersome for me to repeat so I have requested to call him 'Mura-bo', a combination of his name and one of his favorite snacks."_

 _"Maiubo." Murasakibara finished, drooling at the thought of eating the tasty treat during practice today._

 _"He seems quite pleased with it."_

 _As the two discussed whether or not Murasakibara should eat during practice or not, Kise stood there, mouth opened in shock at the weird interaction between the two._

 _He hasn't even seen the rest of the first strings and they are already leaving a weird impression on him._

 _"But, Taka-chin~" Murasakibara suddenly began asking, "Isn't it usually Sacchin who comes to get new members?"_

 _"Sacchan was given other work to do at the gym so I've been given the responsibility of escorting Kise-kun today."_

 _"Hmmm~?"_

 _"Sacchin? Sacchan?" Kise sputtered, oblivious to what they were saying._

 _"Momoi Satsuki. The manager." Mia answered._

 _"You call people by really weird names, you know?" The blonde stated, walking down the hallway with Murasakibara and Mia following._

 _"Is that so?"_

 _"Well," Kise continued, adjusting his bag on his shoulder. "If you want to call me a name, then I'll allow you the pleasure of calling me by my first name. You get to say 'Ryota-kun'."_

 _"Declined." Mia answered immediately, making the supermodel crash into one of the shoe lockers of the school._

 _"What?! Why?!" Kise asked, holding his now red nose._

 _"It is unnecessary and impossible." The girl answered as she switched her indoor shoes for her brown loafers. Murasakibara did the same thing, both acting like he never even crashed into the lockers._

 _"And why exactly is it impossible?" Kise asked, slightly annoyed with this girl's attitude. He could accept unnecessary, but_ impossible _?_

 _"It's impossible for me to call you by your first name without being killed by all your fangirls." Mia answered, looking over her shoulder as she waited for the blonde. Murasakibara had gone ahead, saying it was a pain to wait, and left the two alone._

 _Kise looked at the girl, surprised by her answer and the fact that she actually knew about his social status despite seeming like an emotionless female._

 _The raven haired girl looked at the blonde basketball player in confusion as he let out an amused laugh and continued to pull on his own loafers._

 _'She may seem boring, but her brain actually thinks like a normal girl, huh?' Kise thought, walking over to the small girl and patting her head._

 _"Okay." He said, "You're right it is impossible isn't it? Call me whatever you want."_

 _With that, both teenagers made their way to the gym in comfortable silence._

* * *

"Kise-kun~! Do you want to come with us to karaoke after school today?"

"I'm sorry." Kise apologized as he turned down two more of his fan girls, "I have basketball practice after school."

"Eh?! But didn't you go to practice early this morning too?!"

"What can I do? Winter Cup is coming up. I've got to practice hard if I want us to win."

"Kya! Kise-kun, you're so amazing!"

All his fangirls were the same. Every single one of them complimenting him and telling him how great his is at everything.

Of course he wasn't complaining though! In fact, he enjoyed every second of it!

But, since the person he missed the most never complimented him, it felt like he wouldn't be able to find anybody like her again.

"Kise! Stop blocking the hallways and get your ass in the gym!" The familiar voice of Kasamatsu filled Kise's ears as he kicked his back, sending his to the ground in front of the two girls.

"Kise-kun!"

"We're leaving!" The senpai continued, dragging his kohai away from the two females as he tried his best to get away from them before he became a stuttering mess.

"Kasamatsu- senpai! Why did you have to hit me?" Kise asked when he was finally able to get out of the captain's hold and began walking beside him.

"Because you were annoying as hell!"

"So mean!" Noticing that the phone in his bag was blinking, indicating a new message, Kise pulled out the object and flipped it open. He was expecting another text from a fangirl or from his mom again.

He wasn't expecting the name of the girl he missed the most to be in the sender's box.

"Wah!" Kise exclaimed, scaring his senpai who, in turn, kicked him in the back again as punishment.

The basketball player quickly opened up the file to read the words that Mia had written for him, excitement and nervousness making his hands tremble slightly. He had sent her a message everyday for the past several months, not knowing where she had gone and not even knowing why she left, and now he had finally received a reply back.

Once the file was open, Kise looked down and read each word of hers carefully, wanting to take in the meaning perfectly.

 _'Good luck, Ryota-kun.'_

Kise's eyes widened at the text message, rereading the name that she had typed down in her reply.

 _Ryota-kun._

It was the first time she had called him by that name.

"Senpai!" The blonde shouted as he quickly stood up and shoved his phone in his captain's face. "Look senpai! She replied! She replied and called me by my first name, Senpai!"

"Who the hell are you talking about?!" Kasamatsu shouted back, putting his foot his ace player's face to keep him away from him "And don't shove your phone in my face! I don't want to see the disgusting text message from one of your fangirls!"

"She's not a fangirl!" Kise protested, still too happy to even think properly "She's Micchi!"

"I DONT FUCKING CARE!"

The small basketball and microphone key chains on Kise phone continuously clanked together as they kept this up until they reached the gym.

* * *

 **Done! XD**

 **HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY!**


	4. Scan Complete

_Swoosh_

 _Swoosh_

 _Swoosh_

Midorima Shintarou quickly made three 3-pointers in a row, shooting each of the orange basketballs into the large basket with ease. Once the third ball entered the basket, not even touching the ring, Midorima lowered his arms, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he marveled his work.

As always, luck was on his side today.

The low whistle that escaped Kazunari Takao's mouth caught the shooting guard's attention and he quickly turned his gaze towards his "friend".

"Amazing, Shin-chan!" Takao praised, his hands on his hips, "I came over to see how you were since you seemed down all day, but it looks like you are alright. In fact I think you are better today than you've been the entire season!"

"Impossible." Midorima answered, pushing his glasses up his nose again, "Luck is always on my side. And because of that, my shots never miss. There is no difference today."

"Are you sure?" The black haired male questioned, picking up one of Midorima's basketballs and trying a three pointer himself. It managed to go into the basket, but not as graceful as Midorima's, the ball hitting the ring roughly as it slowly entered the net.

"I honestly think that you seem more lucky today than yesterday. And the day before that. And the day before that."

The green haired teenager stared silently at the basketball hoop in front of him, taking in Takao's words as they ran through his head.

His companion looked at him confused, thinking he had hit some sort of sensitive spot. But that couldn't be it. After all, this was Midorima Shintarou.

"So what was your lucky item today?" Takao asked, trying to break the ice.

"I've been carrying it all day." Midorima answered, grabbing another orange ball and shooting yet _another_ perfect three pointer.

"I didn't see anything with you today." Takao looked at the shooting guard in astonishment. How could he have missed Shin-chan's crazy lucky item for the day?!

To answer his question, Midorima walked over to the bench in the gym that held everyone's water bottles and towels. The only thing on the bench that seemed out of place with everything else was a small, old, navy book that lied next to Midorima's water bottle.

"That small book?" Takao asked once the horoscope obsessed male picked it up. "But you bring that with you everyday anyway?"

"It is not the book that is my lucky item, Takao." Midorima said, gently flipping through the old pages of the book until he landed on page 13. Inside was a small and frail four leaf clover. The color was faded but was still as green as Midorima's eyes.

That's what Takao thought until he realized how much that thought made him want to puke and he settled for Midorima's hair instead.

All in all, that four leaf clover was the first one Takao saw in real life, and just the mere sight of such a small thing took his breath away.

"Woah! It's something that actually makes sense when it comes to luck!" The male exclaimed, his mouth forming a grin until Midorima slammed the book shut once more.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." The taller teenager said as he walked back to set the book on the bench again.

"But Shin-chan, how did you manage to find a four leaf clover anyway?" The black haired male asked "Don't tell me you actually kept that in your book this entire time."

The silence that followed answered Takao's question easily. Judging from the odd tension that he was receiving from his teammate, it also seemed like the subject was getting to be too much for him.

"Well," Takao said, suddenly excited that there was actual practice going on, "I'm gonna go practice my dribbling. You should also get back to practice, Shin-chan, or the senpais will be mad."

As Takao walked away from the green haired player, Midorima was finally able to inhale air without the feeling of being choked. Because although luck was on his side more than usual that day...

His heart seemed to have betrayed him the most.

* * *

"Hurry up Tetsuya!" Mia nagged, pulling on her friend's arm as they made their way down the hall towards the gym. Kuroko was, at first, leading the way for the girl after reading her text message to him, but Mia suddenly got too impatient and starting leading the way for _him._

"Please don't tug on my arm like that Mia." The blunette protested, "It hurts."

"I wouldn't have to tug so hard if you would just hurry up!"

"We're going the wrong way though."

"What are you talking about?" Mia asked, stopping in place and looking at Kuroko in confusion. The male took this time to snatch his arm back and began to rub the area that Mia tugged on, trying to release the pain that resided in it.

"Isn't this the way to the gym?" She continued

"Yes." Kuroko answered, "But _I_ have to go to the locker room to get dressed. It's in _that_ direction." To prove his point, he pointed in another direction that wasn't down the path Mia was going down.

"It connects to the gym so I'm able to go to practice immediately after I change. However, unless you have business in the _male_ locker room, you are going to have to go to the gym on your own from here."

"Nope!" Mia exclaimed, waving her hands in front of her, "I'm definitely _not_ going into the locker room with you! I'll just go on ahead like you said. I'll see you in the gym, Tetsuya!"

With that, she left her friends behind, her long, black locks flying past her as she moved forward. Kuroko just stared at her disappearing figure, still confused at her behavior.

First she decides to skip school, then she decides against it, and now she wants to come with him to practice.

Just what is she planning?

Mia continued to run down the hall until she found the large double doors of the gym. Screeching to a stop, she grabbed the door handles, wanting to burst through the gates that led to her mission. However...

 _'Shit! Who was the coach of the team again?!'_

Mia felt the light beads of sweat fall down her forehead as she registered how ridiculous the plan she was about to execute was. Not only that, but she managed to do things without thinking again. That was twice in one day!

 _'Maybe it was that girl who examined my hand the last time I was here.'_ Mia thought, her trembling hand still on the door. _'What was her name again? Did I even ask her for her name?!'_

"Oi." A sudden voice spoke from behind Mia.

"I WAS JUST PASSING BY!" The raven haired girl screamed, her hands immediately pinning to her sides as she stepped away from the door. She wasn't able to move that much though, since she hit a hard wall as she tumbled backwards.

Or she thought it was a wall.

"Eh?" Once she managed to feel the soft fabric of a t-shirt underneath her fingertips, Mia turned her head upwards. Deep blue eyes met stunning red ones as She came face to face with the red headed beast she had met a week ago.

"Tiger!"

" _Taiga!_ " Kagami growled, a vein popping in his forehead as he pushed the small girl off of him.

"Wait!" Mia continued once she saw him head for the same doors she was having trouble entering a minute ago. "You're on the basketball team too?!"

"Too?" Kagami questioned, raising an eyebrow at the girl.

"With Tetsuya!"

"Oh, Kuroko." Mia noticed the solemn expression the player had on his face as she mentioned the invisible man. "Yeah, I'm on the team. What about you?"

"Me?"

"What business do you have with the basketball team?"

The question stunned Mia, makin her jerk and tremble again as she remembered her main objective. The action alone made Kagami stare at the girl in confusion, his eyebrows scrunching up on his face.

"W-W-W-Who is your c-coach?" Mia stuttered, her voice coming out hoarse and dry, "I would like to speak with h-him."

Kagami didn't know whether to be worried or scared at the scared girl standing in front of him. She looked so confident and upbeat when he was talking with her, and now she was just this blubbering mess when it came to talking with his coach. The mere thought of how quickly Mia had transformed in less than a minute made him start to tremble in laughter.

"I think you better use proper pronouns before you speak with _her_." Kagami answered, his own voice cracking slightly to keep from laughing out loud. "She should be the only female in the gym. If you go in there you won't be able to miss her."

 _'_ "So it was the girl I met that day." Mia mumbled as Kagami grabbed the handles of the gym door once more.

"What was that?" He asked.

"Nothing! Just talking to myself."

"You're weird."

"You're Bakagami."

"What?!"

"Nothing! Just go in already!" Mia shouted, opening the gym doors and kicking the red headed beast inside. "You're making me more nervous just standing there like that!"

With that, she slammed the doors shut and leaned against them. Placing a hand over her heart, she felt the continuous drum beats of her heart in her ears and against her palm. The sound almost sounded calming to her as she breathed in and out.

 _'Who knew I would be this nervous just to ask someone a simple question.'_ Mia thought, frowning at the ground as she contemplated about what she was going to ask the coach again. It shouldn't have been a big deal. After all, it wasn't like she was asking to buy drugs or if she could to kill all the members of the team.

Mia's musings were interrupted by the sudden opening of the door next to her.

"Ack!" The girl yelped, backing away from the now exposed gym and the person who had opening it in the first place.

"What are _you_ doing here?!" Riko exclaimed, noticing the girl from a week earlier. "And why are you standing like that?"

It was true that Mia's pose was something to laugh upon. Her arms were covering her face in an 'X' shape while her right leg was raised as if she was getting ready to run. It was really something odd indeed.

"Oh! It's just you." Mia said, not even answering Riko's question.

"You better mean that in a nice way." The coach responded, letting go of the door handle and leaning against it with her arms crossed in front of her chest. "So? What did you want from me?"

"Eh? How did you-"

"Kagami-kun came tumbling into the gym out of no where. When I asked him what happened, he said that there was a weird girl who wanted to see me. I had no idea that person was you." Riko looked at Mia up and down, "Well, he at least got the 'weird' part right."

Instead of answering with an argument about that statement like she did with Kagami, Mia grabbed the hem of her skirt and looked down as she played with it.

"Um..." The girl mumbled. Riko was barely able to hear her. But...

 _'So cute!'_ The coach thought as she stared at the younger student. _'She's like an adorable little kid!'_

Trying once more to get her question out of the way, Mia lifted her head up to Riko and opened her mouth.

Only to be interrupted once more.

"Yo! Riko!" The booming voice of another male sounded behind Mia, making the girl jump once more and move away.

"Ah! Tepp-!" The girl stopped mid sentence as she gazed upon her old teammate, Kiyoshi Teppei, the large number seven on his uniform completely visible to both Riko and Mia.

"It's been a while!" The giant continued, not noticing the weird stares coming from both females. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't we be getting to practice by now?"

Without even waiting for her to answer, Teppei grabbed the handle of the closed door next to Riko and swung it open.

"Ah! Wait, Teppei!" Riko tried to stop him. But, it was too late. The large male had already entered the gym, his shoes squeaking against the shining floor.

"'Sup!" He greeted, making his voice be heard, "Let's start practice!"

Mia heard the sound of basketballs stop completely after Kiyoshi's greeting. It was quite amazing how they could just stop so suddenly like that. Riko, on the other hand, wasn't as easily impressed. She stared at Kiyoshi, already exhausted with his actions even though he had only arrived several minutes ago. Putting a hand to her forehead, she tried to stop the small headache from getting bigger. Once she noticed that the first year she was speaking to only a moment before was still there, staring at Teppei in confusion, she gestured to the gym.

"You can come in if you want." Riko said, catching Mia's attention, "We can talk during practice."

Before Mia could move more than one step, however, Riko stuck a hand out, stopping her once more.

"But no more slapping people."

Turning to go back to the gym, Riko walked ahead of Mia. The girl stared at the coach's back before hurriedly catching up, closing the door behind her.

"Why are you in your uniform?!" A voice yelled right as Mia slammed the door shut. Instead of jumping in surprise again, however, Mia simply just observed quietly as she walked, like she was expecting _someone_ to say something about Kiyoshi coming in his uniform.

"It's been so long," Teppei answered, a sparkle in his eye, "I wanted to raise the tension."

"You can't be serious! Are you?!"

"So, did you want to talk now?" Riko asked, not entirely bothered by the argument between her basketball members.

"No." Mia answered, "I can wait for a bit. This seems to be more important than what I was going to ask."

The coach looked behind her at the strange girl who came barging in only a week before. What startled her the most was how Mia's expression was the same as how it was when they first met. Serious and calculating.

"...yeah." Riko said, trailing off as she continued to stare at the girl.

She was a weird one.

* * *

It took Kiyoshi only a couple of minutes to change into more fitting clothing for basketball practice. During this time, Mia carefully looked at all the players of the Seirin Basketball Team, including Kagami and Kuroko. Unfortunately for the girl, she wasn't able to get as good of a read on the players as she was able to back in Teiko.

 _'Shit.'_ Mia cursed _'It's been so long, it'll take me a couple days of practice to get back to my original state.'_

"I'm Kiyoshi Teppei." The brown haired giant introduced once he came back out onto the gym floor, "Due to some circumstances, I was in the hospital since last year's summer and was resting due to rehab after an operation."

 _'Rehab?!'_ Mia thought astonished, looking the male up and down as she examined his condition. _'Interesting.'_

"193 cm, 81 kg and my position is center. Howdy!"

"So Teppei," Riko piped up beside him,"Are you alright already?"

"Yeah! Fully recovered!" Teppei answered cheerfully before his smile faltered a bit. "More importantly..." His head turned as he looked at Mia who was staring at him with no emotion, her face hard like a piece of stone. "Who is this person who's been staring at me intently ever since I got here?"

"Oh! Sorry, this is...um...she is..eh..." Riko forgot the fact that she never asked her for her name.

"Takagi Mia." Mia answered for her, her eyes still on Teppei. It was going by slowly, but she was definitely getting data on the male in front of her. She would definitely need to practice for several days in order to receive data a lot quicker. "Nice to meet you."

"Eh? Oh yeah. Nice to meet you too, Takagi-san." Even Kiyoshi had to admit that the hard stare the girl was giving him was making him feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Anyway, I guess I only have one thing to say." The founder of the basketball team announced, placing his hands on his hips, "The three years of our high school life go by really fast, so we have to do what we do seriously. Our goal of course is...where again?!"

The silence in the gym wasn't enough to express how confused every team member was at that moment.

"Huh?"

"No, I mean, where is the InterHigh being held?"

"It changes every year, and we lost there already! Our goal now is the Winter Cup!"

"I see! Then, where is the Winter Cup being held this year?"

"The Winter Cup's place never changes! It's always in Tokyo!"

The argument between the captain and the founder of the basketball team continued like this as the others continued to watch in astonishment. Just what exactly went on everyday during the early days of the Seirin basketball team?

"Well, if you want to climb a mountain, you obviously aim for the top." Kiyoshi made his point, "But you've got to enjoy the scenery too."

Hyuga stared at his old friend before he sighed in defeat, catching the attention of Izuki.

"What's wrong Hyuga?"

"Nothing." He answered, "It's just that, he never changes. That's why I don't like him."

Back in the corner where Riko left her, Mia continued to stare at Kiyoshi Teppei and his laughing form as he continued to talk with his old teammates.

"All data received." Mia mumbled in the monotone voice she hadn't used in forever, "Scan complete."

* * *

 _Midorima walked down the empty hallways of Teiko Middle school, his destination the male locker room where one of his notebooks had been left behind._

 _It usually wasn't like him to be worried about studying when he could just rely on his great luck during exams. However, if he didn't at least do a_ little _bit of studying before the tests, then how exactly would he be able to ace the test when his luck was bad?_

 _As expected, the locker room was dark and empty once he opened the door, the cool breeze blowing on his face lightly and sending shivers down his spine. It was always when there_ wasn't _sweaty men in the room that it felt cold._

 _"Here it is." The glasses wearing male mumbled to himself as he found his notebook in his locker, shutting the metal door after grabbing the thin book._

 _The sound of a basketball bouncing on the gym floor, froze Midorima in place. He carefully listened when the bouncing stopped to make sure he wasn't just hearing things. Sure enough, the bouncing started up again and it officially peaked Shintaro's interest, his body moving on its own as he headed for the gym._

 _'Is Kuroko here practicing late again?' Midorima thought, remembering the times Kuroko had stayed late to practice with Aomine when he was still in the third string._

 _When he opened the gym doors and didn't see the blue haired player, his eyes widened. The person who_ was _staying late, and who was the last person Midorima thought would be playing basketball, was Takagi Mia._

 _The sleeves of the light blue blouse of her Teiko uniform were rolled up past her elbows, and her white sweater was tied around her waist. A small, pink scrunchie held her short hair behind her head and small beads of sweat rolled down her face as she continued to attempt a three pointer._

 _"Shit!" Mia cursed when yet_ another _ball bounced off the rim of the basket without actually going in._

 _"Takagi." Midorima called, making the girl jump and drop the new basketball in her hands._

 _"Oh, Midorima-kun." Mia greeted as the tall male came walking towards her._

 _"What exactly are you doing?" He asked, his usual 'nanodayo' endings making his speech "special"._

 _"Practicing." The girl answered, picking up another ball from the basketful of them that sat next to her._

 _"What exactly for?" Midorima questioned._

 _Mia clicked her tongue, annoyed, when the ball didn't even get close to the basket and just bounced continuously on the ground._

 _"Aomine has challenged me and said that I am not able to shoot a single basket. I am prepared to prove him wrong by the end of the week."_

 _Shoot_

 _Clank_

 _"Damn." It was humorous how the robotc girl could say such indecent words without changing the tone of her voice._

 _"You know that the end of the week means_ tomorrow _, right?"_

 _"I am perfectly aware of that fact, Midorima-kun. I have been here everyday after school, practicing."_

 _Shoot_

 _Bounce_

 _"Tch."_

 _"Your form is wrong." Midorima piped up, setting his notebook down so that he could show Mia what he was talking about. "You place your dominant hand on the front and your non dominant hand on the side for support. When you throw the ball, you simply bend your knees and jump, rolling the ball off your dominant hand as you throw it. The rest is up to aiming...and luck."_

 _The girl mimicked Midorima's shooting form, placing her right hand where he put his left one since her right hand was her dominant and not her left. Feeling a little bit more confident in herself, Mia bounced the ball a couple of times in front of her, getting ready to shoot another ball. She bent her knees and raised her hands, aiming her shot before she jumped and..._

 _CLANK!_

 _The ball the got stuck in between the headboard and the ring of the hoop._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _"There are no words to express the anger I am feeling at this moment." Mia said, her hands clenched at her sides as they trembled._

 _Midorima stood at the sidelines, not knowing if it was okay to laugh or not. Choosing not to, the male pushed up his glasses and walked over to the basket. Thankful for his height in this situation, he jumped slightly and pushed the basketball out of the spot it was in with the tip of his middle finger, making it come loose and fall in his hands. Then taking a few steps back, he jumped once more and sent the ball flying through the hoop. Even with his short sleeved white shirt and black pants, he still managed to look graceful as he jumped._

 _"Your form is good and your aim is decent." Midorima said, tossing the ball back to the girl "However, it is obvious that luck is not on your side when it comes to basketball like it is with me. You should wait until it is a lucky day for Virgos, then maybe you can-"_

 _"I DON'T FUCKING CARE!" Mia screamed, finally breaking as she threw the basketball against the gym floor as hard as she could, surprising Midorima. He wasn't expecting this girl to show emotion let alone volume. "No matter how hard I try, I will never be able to-"_

 _Swoosh_

 _The sound of the ball making it through the net caught Mia and Midorima's attention. Both stood there as they silently watched the ball roll away from them. When he looked back at the girl, Midorima saw that she was about to attempt another "toss"._

 _"Wha?! Hold on, Taka-"_

 _BAM!_

 _Swoosh_

 _She did it once more._

 _BAM!_

 _Swoosh_

 _"Takagi!" Midorima scolded, protecting himself as if the ball would come for him and not the net._

 _"It went in..." Mia said._

 _"Yes, I am aware of that!" Lowering his arms, the male looked at Mia with a mighty rage, "That does not give you the right to..."_

 _He trailed off and completely forgot why he was angry when he saw that Mia was smiling._

 _And not just smiling. She was_ laughing _too._

 _"It went in!" Mia cheered, throwing her hands up in the air, "It went in! Did you see that Midorima-kun?! I actually made it in!"_

 _Before Midorima could help himself, and before Mia could actually see him do it, he smiled at the girl in front of him._

* * *

"Shin-chan!" Takao called, bringing his friend back to reality.

"Eh?" Midorima looked ahead of him to see Takao in large cart he used to drive him places. Of course the decision is always one sided, but he agrees to it nonetheless.

"Hop on." Takao answered, pointing to the back of the cart behind him. "We'll go get something to eat."

"That is unnecessary."

"Oh come on!" Takao complained, following Midorima on the cart as the taller teenager began walking away from him. "You've obviously been feeling down all day. At least let me act like a friend and let me treat to to some food!"

When Midorima stopped walking suddenly, Takao slammed into the head of the bicycle, his stomach hitting it first and making him hold it in pain.

"Are you really willing to treat me to something to make me feel better?" Midorima asked, not even turning to look at Takao.

"Um...yeah, I guess." The black haired male answered. He was very suspicious as to where he was leading with this.

However, all Midorima did was turn and sit in the large, wooden cart, setting his belongings next to him as he looked at Takao with a serious expression.

"Then take me to my usual antique store. We are going to search for my lucky item."

"You already have your lucky up item!" Takao yelled, pointing to the small book that Midorima was holding.

"Fool! I may already have my luck item for today, but that does _not_ mean I have my lucky item for tomorrow!"

"Do you even know what your lucky item for tomorrow is?!" Takao complained, but began to pedal anyway.

"Fool!"

"Yeah yeah, I get it! Just make sure I'm able to afford it!"

* * *

"Ah! Riko-senpai!" Mia called after the brunette who was about to start drills with the boys.

The call stopped Riko in her tracks, and she slowly turned around as the girl jogged up to her.

"What was that?" She asked, her voice low.

"Eh?"

"Say it again."

"...Riko-senpai-!"

Suddenly, arms wrapped around Mia's torso and Riko's cheek was placed on her own.

"You good girl!" Riko exclaimed, "You definitely know how to treat your senpais well! Unlike _some_ men." That last sentence was obviously made towards several freshmen, who, in turn, froze at the tone of her voice and the evil glare they received.

"Um...Riko-senpai?" Mia asked again, still being hugged tightly by the female coach.

"Yes!"

"I was wondering if I could discuss with you the reason why I came here in the first place."

"Oh yes! I completely forgot about that since Teppei was created problems again." Riko laughed nervously, her hand scratching the back of her head. "Anyway, what did you nee-"

"Let me be your manager." Mia interrupted, suddenly serious oppose to when she first got here.

"...eh?"

"I'm asking, no, _begging_ you to let me become your manager." Mia repeated, lowering herself so that she was on her hands and knees on the gym floor, bowing. "Please!"

The fact that Mia was embarrassing both herself and Riko by bowing to her in front of a group of men was enough to make the coach go bright red.

"EHHHHHHHH?! MANAGER?!"

* * *

 **I don't feel like this chapter is up to par with the previous one, but I wanted to get it out of the way. I also wanted to add more things but then the chapter would have been too long and it would have felt like it was dragging on and on and on...**

 **So please don't kill me for this chapter TT^TT!**


	5. NG-Shuu (Chapters 1-4)

**Hello all! It's been so long I know! I've been working on the next chapter though so it shouldn't be too long till it's out. I just need to do some edited to make it perfect for you guys! But, in the meantime, I've decided to do a little mini intermission in between chapters based off of the NG-Shuu bloopers.**

 **This first one is only up to chapter 4 but I'm gonna do at least one from every chapter until the story is officially done! Also, it will hopefully fill you guys up until the next chapter is out. Until then, ENJOY!**

* * *

 **KUROKO NO BASUKE! NG SHUU!**

 **Mia: Achooo! *sniffles* …eh?**

* * *

"Look at them over there. Acting all buddy buddy with one another after what we said about them."

The sickening laughs of the high schoolers next to them became louder, making Midorima and Aomine stop arguing across the booth from Mia and halting Murasakibara from crunching loudly on his chip. She could even feel Kuroko tense up next to her, something she never thought the kid could do.

"They really are a group of pathetic kids if they get worked up over something small like this. Ha!"

It really pissed her off.

"I guess we can't call them the Generation of Miracles of they are this much of a disappoi-"

Before the student could finish his sentence, a large cup of soda crashed into the side of his head, spilling cola all over his face and hair. With a girlish shriek he stood up from his spot and glared over at the Teiko table.

"What the hell?!"

"Oh sorry 'bout that." Aomine drawled lazily, "My hand slipped."

"Wha-?!"

"Aomine. I can't believe you actually did that." Midorima scolded the tanned player with a sigh, "If you wanted it to land directly on his face, then you should've done it at a different angle. Let me show you how it's done."

One by one, each of the generation of miracles got up from their spot in the booth and headed towards the high schooler, an evil aura surrounding each of them. With their height, or lack of, they looked like a group of trembling elementary schoolers rather than senpais compared to them.

"E-Eh?! What are you doing?!" The "leader' demanded, backing away as they drew nearer. "You guys are crazy?!" Suddenly, his back hit something hard with a _thud_.

"Sorry~" Murasakibara gave a half assed apology, firmly placing his hands on the guy's shoulder, "But do you think you can hang out with us for a little longer~?"

Mia could visibly see the teenager gulp from fear.

"Takagi-san." Kuroko spoke, startling the girl from her trance. Their booth was now completely empty besides them. Even Momoi had gone with the group to "hang out" with the high schoolers. She could already hear her cheers of encouragement from across the restaurant.

"Y-Yes?"

"Maybe we should leave this to them?"

"…Yes I think you're right."

The one sided fight didn't seem to be ending any time soon.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!"

"Aominecchi! Get some ketchup! There's too much mustard going on here!"

"Already on it!"

"Midorima-kun, I would suggest throwing the burger rather than the fries."

"You got this you guys! Mukkun, keep holding on to them!"

"Hai~"

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

* * *

 **KUROKO NO BASUKE! NG SHUU!**

 **Mia: Achooo! *sniffles* …eh?**

* * *

"I see you staring..." Mia's voice suddenly spoke right beside Roxanne's face, making her scream loudly and jump out of her seat.

"What the hell, Mia?!"

The teenager, however, wasn't listening. Instead she just stood from her seat and walked over towards the fireplace to grab the old photo of her teammates. Staring at it lazily, she tossed the tv remote to her aunt before marching upstairs.

"You can have the tv. I'm gonna take a nap."

"Wait!" Her aunt's voice protested downstairs, "What about homework? Or tests? Do you have to study at all?!"

"I don't need it." Mia called back down before her sock caused her to slip on the polished wooden steps. Within a few seconds, Mia had managed to get from the top of the stairs back down towards the first floor, her whole body upside down as she landed against the wall with her lower body bent out in front of her. She merely blinked a few times before opening her mouth.

"Actually, I've decided to take a nap here."

"THAT'S A LIE! YOU OBVIOUSLY JUST SLIPPED DOWN THE STAIRS!"

"You're right. I just wanted to be here with you, Aunt Roxy."

"OH IT'S OFFICAL! YOU'VE GONE AND GIVEN YOURSELF A CONCUSSION DIDN'T YOU?!"

* * *

 **KUROKO NO BASUKE! NG SHUU!**

 **Mia: Achooo! *sniffles* …eh?**

* * *

"I'm sorry." Kuroko told Mia. While the coach and Momoi were busy discussing the game, Mia was in charge of dealing with the injured player before her. It seemed like it was a leftover job given to rookie newcomers such as herself. After all, She just joined the basketball club a little over a week ago.

"Why are you telling me that?" Mia responded, handing him a handkerchief to wipe his nose. "You should be apologizing to your team and your coach. Im just the assistant manager in charge of getting people drinks and helping take care of the injured."

The silence that followed made their little interaction a bit awkward for Mia. Instead of having to watch him dab at his nose while waiting for his response like a total idiot, she sat down on the bench next to him, grabbing her clipboard and looking through the numbers and percentages written on the papers it held.

"I'm sorry." Kuroko's voice spoke once more, startling the teenager.

"I told you not to say that to me!" She scolded.

"I don't think you understand the importance of your job."

Did he just ignore her?!

"Those numbers you came up with during-"

"No, wait! Hold on one moment!" Mia interrupted before he could continue, "I can't believe you just ignored what I was telling you! That's just rude! Didn't your parents teach you any manners growing up? If you're going to say something that changes the subject, then at least acknowledge what I told you before you do so! Do I make myself clear?"

Kuroko didn't know what to say. One moment he was talking to a quiet and slightly strict assistant manager, and the next he's being scolded by a business like and motherly teenager. His eyes widened as her expression changed from neutral to frowning and he was leaning slightly away from her and her wrath. Once she was done with what she had to say he blinked a couple of times, thinking that what he just saw was an allusion, then opened his mouth when he realized that it wasn't.

"Y-Yes…"

"Hmph, good then."

"… _eh?!"_

* * *

 **KUROKO NO BASUKE! NG SHUU!**

 **Mia: Achooo! *sniffles* …eh?**

* * *

"Kise! Stop blocking the hallways and get your ass in the gym!" The familiar voice of Kasamatsu filled Kise's ears as he kicked his back, sending his to the ground in front of the two girls.

"Kise-kun!"

"We're leaving!" The senpai continued, dragging his kohai away from the two females as he tried his best to get away from them before he became a stuttering mess.

"Kasamatsu- senpai! Why did you have to hit me?" Kise asked when he was finally able to get out of the captain's hold and began walking beside him.

"Because you were annoying as hell!"

"So mean!" Noticing that the phone in his bag was blinking, indicating a new message, Kise pulled out the object and flipped it open. He was expecting another text from a fangirl or from his mom again.

He wasn't expecting the name of the girl he missed the most to be in the sender's box.

"Wah!" Kise exclaimed, scaring his senpai who, in turn, kicked him in the back again as punishment.

The basketball player quickly opened up the file to read the words that Mia had written for him, excitement and nervousness making his hands tremble slightly. He had sent her a message everyday for the past several months, not knowing where she had gone and not even knowing why she left, and now he had finally received a reply back.

Once the file was open, Kise looked down and read each word of hers carefully, wanting to take in the meaning perfectly.

 _'Good luck, Ryuji-kun.'_

Kise's eyes widened at the text message, rereading the name that she had typed down in her reply.

 _Ryuji-kun_

 _Ryuji-kun_

 _Ryuji-kun_

 _Ryuji-kun_

"Kasamatsu-senpai~!" Kise cried as he clutched his upperclassman's bag in distress.

"What the-?! What _now?!_

"%^*&%$(&(*&(*%^%&^%##&$&^%&^%&$!" Kise screeched in an unidentifiable language with waterfalls streaming down his face. Kasamatsu sweat dropped as he knew that whatever upset him this time, it would take a long time for him to get over it.

* * *

 **KUROKO NO BASUKE! NG SHUU!**

 **Mia: Achooo! *sniffles* …eh?**

* * *

"W-W-W-Who is your c-coach?" Mia stuttered, her voice coming out hoarse and dry, "I would like to speak with h-him."

Kagami didn't know whether to be worried or scared at the scared girl standing in front of him. She looked so confident and upbeat when he was talking with her, and now she was just this blubbering mess when it came to talking with his coach. The mere thought of how quickly Mia had transformed in less than a minute made him start to tremble in laughter.

"I think you better use proper pronouns before you speak with _her_." Kagami answered, his own voice cracking slightly to keep from laughing out loud. "She should be the only female in the gym. If you go in there you won't be able to miss her."

 _'_ "So it was the girl I met that day." Mia mumbled as Kagami grabbed the handles of the gym door once more.

"What was that?" He asked.

"Nothing! Just talking to myself."

"You're weird."

"You're Bakagami."

"What?!"

"Baka. Gami." Mia emphasized, using hand gestures for each word. "You're such a Bakagami with your Bakagami*!"

"…Did you just make a pun on my name and hair?"

"THAT WAS A GOOD ONE!" Izuki cried out as he burst through the door upon hearing a nearby pun. Mia's whole being beamed at the sudden recognition, flowers sprouting around her as Izuki shook her hands with enthusiasm.

All Kagami could do was slap his hand on his face in disbelief.

* * *

 ***I recently realized that Bakagami could also be a pun for Kagami's red hair since "red hair" is translated to "Akagami" in japanese.**


	6. I'm Sorry

**EMERGENCY! PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU MOVE ON!**

 **What I'm about to say is something that disappoints even myself and will probably disappoint a lot of you when I'm done.**

 **I have forgotten about the game between Kaijo and Touou in the InterHigh tournament!**

 **I'm not saying it never crossed my mind, but I'm saying that I already mentioned it at the beginning of the story, forgetting that it actually happens** _ **after**_ **Seirin's team goes to train during the summer.**

 **I had already planned to put it after the training camp but I don't know if I got to excited or something, but it just kind of popped up in Kise's text to Mia in chapter 3 so...yeah...**

 **I already fixed my mistake and the story should still go on as usual, but just in case fans are reading the game and say 'Didn't Kise already tell Mia about this?' I'm sorry. I really am.**

 **IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN!**

 **Now enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

The halls of Seirin High School were almost completely deserted. The occasional taps of students' shoes against the floor was the only sound made throughout the building. Eve most of the teachers had gone home by now.

The light panting of second year, Koganei, echoed against the walls as he jogged from his classroom to the gym.

"Shit. I'm totally late." He cursed himself, scowling as he remembered how his head had bonked loudly on his desk when he fell asleep, catching the teacher's attention and forcing him to stay after class. "To think I would fall asleep during literature class. What a failure."

He made it to the doors of the gym with good timing, his sneakers squeaking against the floor when he stopped.

"Yo~!" He called, expecting a beating for being late from Riko when he opened the gym doors and marched right inside.

What he wasn't expecting was a close up of their teams ace as he went for a hard dunk.

"WOAH!" Koga cried out when he heard the loud bang of Kagami's hand hitting the hoop. Izuki and Furihata were also overwhelmed by the sudden force and were pushed back, knocking into Koga one after the other.

The screech of Riko's whistle became the only sound in the gym as everyone stared at their ace in surprise.

"Foul!" She yelled, turning her attention to the taller first year. "Hey Kagami-kun, what are you doing?! You're too forceful' Look around you more!"

"Tch" the redhead growled, gritting his teeth and moving on to continue the practice play.

"Hey...what's with that?" Koga asked, making his presence known, "Isn't he too nervous?"

"Koga!" Izuki exclaimed once he noticed his friend had finally come, "Well you see, at first I thought it was because he was concentrating too hard. But it seems to be something different now."

The duo looked at Kagami who was already drenched in sweat and running back to his position, both holding looks of confusion and worry.

"Instead of saying he plays selfishly," Izuki continued I would say he returned to his style from when he first joined the club."

'It's almost like he's playing alone and not relying on anyone.'

Kagami continued to dunk his way through points as time flew by, causing everyone on the team to slowly edge away from him. It was like they were afraid of him crushing them.

'Hey! What's wrong, Kagami-kun?!' Riko thought as she observed from the sidelines, whistle in her mouth.

At this point, she didn't know what was worse. Trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with Kagami and fix it, or having to deal with the abnormal species who wanted to become the team manager.

 _"I'm asking, no_ begging _you to let me become the manager!"_

'Ugh. Why are all first years this year so annoyingly persistent?'

But...

 _"Please!"_

She couldn't forget the look on the girl's face. Although bent forward when she bowed, the moment her face lifted up to look at Riko, the coach was able to see the look of desperation in her eyes.

"Kuroko-kun!" Riko called, grabbing the attention of the phantom man. "Sub out for a moment. There's something I need to discuss with you."

Although sweaty and slightly nervous that he was forced to talk with his coach _alone,_ the teenager obliged.

* * *

"Man." Mia sighed, taking a sip of water from her bottle she carried with her in her bag, "I know what I did was pretty extreme, but she didn't have to kick me out of the gym."

Despite her words, Mia's cheeks still grew bright red as she remembered the coach screaming at her to get out of the gym after bowing and begging for the position of manager. The embarrassment grew even more when the situation ended up with Kagami having to throw the teenager over his shoulder and carry her out of the gym, despite her continuous cries of protest and declarations of becoming the manager even if she had to cut off all of her hair to prove how much she wanted it.

 _"I mean it! I won't be cute anymore! Nobody wants that right?!"_

"Why the hell did I have to say that?" Mia asked to herself, leaning against a pole as she covered her burning red face with her hand.

Not only did she sound desperate, but she sounded like she would do anything for the job. Of course both were true, but in Mia's case, she was actually fit to be manager. She didn't need to prove her worth by cutting her hair! She should be able to become manager without having to go through all that crap!

Or so she continuously told herself.

"Kiyoshi Teppei." Mia mumbled, walking along the sidewalk once more despite her still slightly pink cheeks. "193 cm and 81 kg."

Tossing her water bottle in the first trash can she saw, Mia decided to stop by the convenience store near her home to buy some dinner. The red orange glow of the sky indicated that it was getting late and she most certainly didn't feel like cooking anything tonight.

Well, it's not like she's been cooking any other night anyway.

"Out of a hundred percent; physical ability is at 95.3%, his technique is at 93.6%, mental strength is at 95.75%, stamina has been decreased by at least 15.823% since the last time I saw him, and finally, special trai-!"

The doors to the convenience store slid open as the raven head walked inside. However, before she could finish her sentence, the image of a six foot, muscular, tan teenager caught her eye.

Mia's eyes widened and her mouth hung open in shock. Her palms started to sweat as she began to tremble.

'No way!' Mia screamed in her head since she was afraid of being noticed.

As the larger teenager turned to the sound of the door's ding, Mia quickly ducked behind the first aisle near the entrance, making herself invisible. However, the slight contact she made with the umbrella stand made the objects inside knock into one another, informing the tanned skinned male that someone did, in fact, come in.

"Hmph." Mia heard the familiar rough voice of Aomine Daiki as he dismissed the odd entrance of someone he didn't even see. She continued to listen for several seconds until she was sure his attention was brought to something else in the store. Before she could stop herself, Mia let out a loud sigh of relief, only to slap her hand over her mouth when she realized what she had done.

"Eh?" Aomine looked back over to the entrance, wondering where that noise was coming from. His curiosity getting the better of him, he started walking over to the first aisle next to the door, thinking that he would find something there.

Once Mia heard his footsteps coming closer, she mentally screamed once more and started to panic, looking around at her surroundings as she tried to figure out what to do. Deciding that the best option was to quickly move out of sight again, the teenage girl crawled as fast as she could to the end of the aisle. Despite the small noises she was emitting from moving her bag across the floor, Mia managed to make it to the other side of the aisle before Aomine was able to get a good look at her.

It felt like her heart was going to jump out of her chest as she waited for Aomine to stop looking for her. Feeling something press against her back, Mia saw a rack of baseball caps behind her.

Before she could comprehend her new plan, she grabbed a blue one that read _'Go Baseball!'_ and stuffed all her black hair inside as she put it on her head, grabbing her black sunglasses from her bag to finish the look.

It wasn't a perfect disguise, but it gave Mia a little bit of confidence to actually stand up from her spot.

"Ah!" Aomine immediately voiced once he saw Mia's form. The sudden announcement made the girl freeze in place. "Was that you making all that noise?"

"...yeah." Mia responded, lowering her voice to keep him from knowing who she was.

"Hmmm." Aomine said, dismissing the situation already. Walking over to the magazine section, he grabbed his usual idol spread, making sure the boobs were to his liking, and began to read while standing. However, that same spot he was standing in, just happened to be right next to the one person who was trying to avoid him.

"..."

Mia couldn't help but stare. Her feet were frozen in place and her legs were trembling slightly. All she could do was just look at Aomine reading his dirty magazine. She didn't even have the energy to barf at the image in front of her.

Eventually, Aomine noticed the unwanted glances he was receiving and turned to glare at Mia, making the poor girl jump in place.

"What?" The tanned male growled. He held the magazine a little more tightly, thinking that the stranger next to him wanted to have it for themselves.

"N-Nothing!" Mia squeaked, already losing her low voice she had. Pretending she was there for the magazines and that she wasn't trying to avoid him, Mia quickly picked a random one from the shelf and begin to "read" it, taking two steps away from the man next to her.

'Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away!' Mia thought, staring at the slick pages in front of her without giving much thought to what she chose.

Before she knew it, the reading material was snatched out of her hands, shocking Mia. When she turned to try and grab the item back, she found herself looking straight at Aomine's cheek. His face was so close as he read the cover of the magazine Mia had grabbed. Although he wasn't looking at _her,_ Mia still felt her blood run cold at the distance between them.

"Heh~." Aomine smirked, still looking at the magazine. "I didn't know girls were into this stuff too."

Confused, Mia looked at the item now in the basketball player's hands, her eyes widening when she realized what it was.

"RIO NATSUME! FULL COVER SPREAD!" It read, each letter bold and in bright colors. Not only did Mia choose a gravure magazine, but she also chose a gravure magazine with a J-cup model on the front!

"No!" Mia screeched, backing away quickly as her cheeks turned a dark shade of red. Her face quickly paled as she ran into more magazines and made them topple over each other onto the ground.

"Hey! Be careful back there!" The store owner yelled.

"I'm sorry!" Mia responded, kneeling down and picking up each item that fell on the floor. She was surprised when Aomine had bent down to do the same, setting aside each magazine by topic so that it would be easier for them to put away.

" _What_?" Aomine glared, sending shivers up the girl's spine. Realizing she was staring too long, Mia looked back down at what she was doing, making sure the brim of her cap covered her eyes in case her sunglasses didn't.

"I'm sorry."

"Hmph."

The silence between them was deafening for Mia as they continued their work until all magazines were put away where they belonged. Once everything was cleaned up, both teenagers stood up from their spots. Mia hoped that from this point on, they could both just continue on with their day.

Unfortunately for her, luck wasn't on her side today.

"Oi." Aomine said, scaring the girl next to him. She wasn't expecting him to speak so suddenly. "I'm not that scary. You don't have to keep looking down when I'm near you."

"I'm sorry." She said again.

"And stop apologizing! You sound like someone I know."

"I'm so-" cutting herself off before she angered Aomine again, Mia simply nodded in reply. She wasn't capable of saying anything else to him anyway. It felt like something large was lodged in her throat. It was hard for her to breath.

"E-Excuse me!" Mia managed to say, her voice cracking. Hurriedly, she passed by Aomine in an attempt to escape out of the convenience store. However, a strong hand caught her wrist and held her in place, making Mia gasp and widen her eyes in terror.

"Hey wait! Don't you have to pay for that hat first?" Aomine asked, not affected by the situation they were in.

Her wrist felt small in slender in his big hand. So soft and warm. It surprised even Aomine how her skin felt against his. Instead of new and foreign like he expected it to be like, holding this girl's wrist felt nostalgic and familiar. It felt like he's been in a situation like this before.

Before he could continue his thoughts, Aomine felt the stranger begin to tremble in his hand.

"Oi-"

"Let go!" Mia yelled unintentionally, slightly tugging on her wrist in an attempt to free it from his grasp. The sudden burst was not something Aomine was expecting. Unconscious loosening his grip on her arm, Aomine watched as the girl snatched her hand away, holding it against her chest.

He didn't know what possessed him, but he found himself trying again to at least _talk_ to the terrified girl in front of him.

"You-"

"AOMINE!" A loud voice yelled in the convenience store, irritating the basketball player as he was interrupted yet again. Mia took this opportunity to quickly get away from Aomine and picked up another magazine in the corner, pretending that they weren't just talking a few seconds ago.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU SKIP PRACTICE AGAIN AND WHY THE HELL DID WE HAVE TO FIND YOU WAY OUT HERE?!" Wakamatsu Kosuke shouted, marching over to the tan teenager who had shoved his hands in his pockets. He wasn't even looking at the blonde team member, making him even angrier.

"Now now." Imagoshi Soichi said, patting Wakamatsu's shoulder as he continued to burst into flames. "There's no need to yell. This _is_ a small store after all. You're probably bugging that girl over there." The glasses wearing captain didn't notice Mia flinch in the corner as he talked about her. However, Aomine most certainly did.

"Whatever." He said, moving past the two senpais and heading towards the exit. As the doors slid open, making the same ding sound as when he entered it, Aomine glanced at the girl through the corner of his eye. She had her back to him as the doors shut close behind them.

"Hey you in the back!" The store owner yelled, "Don't go wearing the merchandise if you're not going to buy it!"

"I'm sorry." Mia answered. It seemed like that one sentence was something she was now used to saying.

Grabbing the brim of the baseball cap, Mia lifted it off her head, her long black locks spilling over her shoulders and down her back. Setting it back on the rack with the rest of the caps, her sunglasses came next.

 _Drip_

 _Drip_

"Eh?" Mia's hand lifted up to her cheek and her eyes widened when she found streams of tears running down her face. Furiously rubbing her sleeves across her eyes, she tried to wipe away the moisture, only to find that more streams replaced the first ones.

Realizing that it was useless trying to get rid of the evidence that led to her sadness, the young girl crouched down on the ground and hid her face in her arms.

"I'm sorry." She said again, trying to keep her voice to a minimum so that she wouldn't start to sob.

'Shit.' She thought, 'I still can't breath.'

* * *

"Aomine!"

The sudden use of his name brought the teenager back to reality. Noticing that Wakamatsu and Imayoshi were staring at him intently, he raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Don't 'What?' us!" Wakamatsu yelled, "We've been talking to you for a solid minute and you didn't do as much as blink! Respect your upperclassmen!"

"Shut up." Aomine answered, using his pinky to clean out his ear as he looked off to the side.

"What?!"

"Now now." Imayoshi said, calming down the blonde once more before looking at his kohai. "But Aomine. It's true that you've been acting strangely ever since we left the store. Did something happen while you were there?"

Refusing to look his captain in the eye, Aomine thought about the stranger he met who had slipped from his grasp before he could even ask her anything.

"...upside down." He mumbled, making both upperclassmen take a step closer to hear what he was saying.

"What was that?" Imayoshi asked again, playfully putting his hand to his ear to hear Aomine better.

"She was holding the damn magazine upside down." Aomine repeated, still refusing to look at the two men in front of him as he walked past them.

Still trying to comprehend what he had just said, Wakamatsu and Imayoshi continued to stare ahead of them. Once Aomine had gained a considerable amount of distance from them, they looked at each other with confused expressions before looking back at their kohai.

"Eh?"

* * *

The loud bang of the vending machine made Hyuga bend down and claim the drink that had just fallen, the icy cold condensation on the outside feeling good in the blazing heat of Summer.

"Here." The captain said nonchalantly, holding it out to Kiyoshi.

"Hm?" The old teammate questioned.

"On your discharge."

Smiling softly, the taller player grabbed the drink from, his companion, "Thanks!"

Both males walked in comfortable silence as different cars passed by them in the evening. After a long period of time without contact and a brutal practice from their coach, it was no wonder they didn't immediately start up a conversation.

"That contest," Hyuga finally spoke, breaking the silence, "would you have won if you wore the right shoes?"

Remembering the one-on-on he had with Kagami, Kiyoshi thought about his chances if he had remembered his sneakers instead of his indoor shoes. Although he was sure he would have performed better, he wasn't sure about him winning. This was especially true against a first year with Kagami's skill.

"...maybe." Kiyoshi finally answered.

"Hey!"

"Leaving the ending aside," he continued, brushing off the first topic, "it's true that my skills are rusty. I wonder if I can get back into shape before summer break."

Taking a sip of his sweet beverage, Kiyoshi looked up at the sky full of stars.

"But those two...they are pretty interesting."

"Kuroko and Kagami?" Hyuga asked, knowing exactly who his friend was talking about.

"Yeah."

"Kuroko is okay." The glasses wearing male stated, finally opening up his own drink of coca cola before taking a sip. "Kagami however...his play is nearly like the Generation of Miracles. He's really strange."

Kiyoshi suddenly stopping in place, made Hyuga look back confused. When he saw that the taller male held a similar expression, his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Really?" He asked, "To me it looks like the exact opposite."

"You mean Kuroko?!"

"...maybe."

"Hey!"

Chuckling, Kiyoshi continued walking down the sidewalk, Hyuga following beside him.

"I'm not sure with just looking. But, well...I kind of understand their worries. After all, I once hit a wall too."

Hyuga looked at his companion whose face had become solemn. He could never understand the man in front of him. One minute all happy and stupid and the next just...so serious and understanding.

"Oh yeah!" Kiyoshi's face suddenly lit up, startling Hyuga, "You didn't tell me that we got a manager, Hyuga!"

The words that came flying out of Kiyoshi's mouth made Hyuga spit and choke on his coke. The reaction didn't shake the taller male as he kept his happy face while his friend was dying.

"What are you talking about?!"

"Takagi-san! Takagi-san!" Kiyoshi answered, referring to Mia. "I met her as I was introducing myself to the others and she left talking about a manager."

"That doesn't mean she's _our_ manager, idiot!" Wiping away the coke that was still dripping down his chin, Hyuga began marching ahead of the stupid man behind him.

"Eh? So she's not our manager?" Kiyoshi asked as he caught up once more. "What a shame."

"Don't tell me that you actually want _that_ as our manager."

"Why not? She seems nice enough. Plus...out of all the first years I saw today, she was the most interesting of them all."

Normally, the comment would just be considered to Hyuga if anyone else had said it. However, since the great Iron Heart, Kiyoshi Teppei, was "generous" enough to voice that thought out, all the basketball captain felt was pure anger.

"As I thought. Give it back." Hyuga commanded, holding out his hand for Kiyoshi's drink.

"Eh?! But I thought it was a gift."

"Somehow you're pissing me off so I want it back."

* * *

Kuroko heard small crickets chirping in the grass as he walked down the sidewalk to Mia's home. The plastic bag he held rustled against his school uniform as his legs moved back and forth. With the way she was kicked out of the school gym, Kuroko knew she would be upset and embarrassed. Heck, even _he_ was embarrassed for her about how she was kicked out.

As a solution, he stopped by the convenience store near Mia's apartment and bought some Popsicles for her. It was a little uncomfortable for Kuroko, however, when he bought the food since the store clerk seemed to be a bad mood. Nevertheless, he bought the items and had turned the corner that led to the apartment complex he was looking for.

An echoed squeaking noise, halted Kuroko in his tracks. Looking around, his light blue eyes stopped on the playground across the street from Mia's home, where a dark silhouette was sitting on the swing set. Thinking it was too late for kids to be playing there, he narrowed his eyes to see the silhouette more clearly only to discover that it was Mia herself.

"Ah." Kuroko said to himself, looking both ways before crossing the street and walking over to the playground. The plastic bag beside him started to hit his leg a little harder as he walked more quickly to his friend.

"Mia." The phantom player called once he was close enough for her to hear. "Why are you outside this late?"

When he didn't get a response out of the girl, Kuroko began to wonder if he mistaken her for someone else. But once he saw the silver splint on her right middle finger, he was sure that it was Mia.

"Mia?" He tried again, moving in front of his friend so that he could see her face. His eyes widened at what he saw.

It was obvious that Mia had been crying. Her deep blue eyes were red and puffy and there were streaks making their way down her cheeks. Her mouth was slightly open as she took breaths through there instead of her congested nose.

"Mia!" Kuroko gasped, kneeling in front of Mia and setting his bags down beside him. It seemed that this had finally gotten a reaction out of the girl as she moved her head up slightly to meet his eyes.

"Tetsuya?" She asked, her voice low and hoarse, like she had been screaming for hours.

Suddenly, her head fell forward and landed on Kuroko's shoulders, startling the male. Before he could do or say anything, Mia spoke once more.

"I met Aomine on the way home." She said, making Kuroko freeze. "Well, I guess I should say that I meant him, but he didn't meet me. I was so scared to talk to him again that I actually wore a disguise. How pathetic is that?"

Slowly, the blue haired teen felt drops of water fall on his hand, letting him know that his dear friend was crying once more.

"I don't know what I'm doing, Tetsuya." Mia continued, "I don't even know why I'm here anymore."

Her voice was breaking. It was shaking and high and made Kuroko afraid that she would lose all strength and fall over.

It wasn't Mia.

As the now fragile girl began to sob into his shoulder, all Kuroko could do was just raise his hands and hold her close to him, hoping that she would be able to let out all she felt before she crumpled and fell.

* * *

"Hey, Furihata..." Fukuda said, his hands sweaty as hell as he looked at the sight before him, "It's true. We first years wanted to play too. So we brought our uniforms."

"...yeah." Furihata answered. The game hadn't even started and sweat was already rolling down his forehead.

"But isn't this...overdoing it?" Kawahara concluded. All three first years gulped.

"WHY ARE ALL THE STARTERS FIRST YEARS?!"

On the bench, Riko looked at the lineup she had chosen for the practice game against Tokushin. The only calm players on Seirin's team were Kuroko and Kagami, both looking as if this choice was totally normal. The other three first years, however, all looked like they were about to piss their pants any minute.

"Now they've done it!" She heard a player on the opposite team say, "We'll send you all back to kindergarten!"

Sighing, Riko pinched the bridge of her nose, hoping to whatever God out there that her first years won't die against these immature basketball players.

"Coach, what's the meaning of this?" One of the players sitting with Riko asked. She didn't answer immediately, instead she looked at the court as the whistle blew then glanced at the man next to her.

"He wanted to see the first years play." She answered as Kiyoshi looked at the game. "No matter what."

"Kiyoshi what's with you?!" Hyuga scolded on the other side of Riko, receiving barely a glance from the man he was talking to.

"Hm?" He asked before going back to the game, pissing off the captain. Luckily, Riko stopped his rampage before he did any damage.

"Uh, Coach..." Koganei piped up, interrupting the "fight" between Hyuga and Kiyoshi. "I know that I may be rude when asking this, but why is _she_ here?"

The cat like man didn't even have to point for Riko to understand who he meant. Sitting on the other side of Kiyoshi (and _away_ from her) was the black haired girl who had jumped into their lives just to become their manager.

She sat there with her bangs covering her face as she continued to stare at the floor. Her hands were in her lap and she didn't move a muscle. At one point, Riko was worried that she died sitting down, but then she suddenly sneezed and Riko just backed away all together after that. She even forced Kiyoshi to sit in between them just in case she would try anything like yesterday.

"Kuroko-kun asked me to let her stay with us for today." The coach answered.

 _"Please." She remembered him saying, "Just for today, can she stay with us?"_

She never even bothered to ask _why._ But the look in her underclassman's eyes told her not to ask too many questions.

Still, it was weird how one day she could be so loud and annoying and the next she could be this quiet.

* * *

"Kuroko." Kagami called as they moved to their positions on the court. "You...don't need to pass to me anymore."

"Eh?" The teen questioned, looking at Kagami with confused eyes as he jogged away.

"Wha?!" Furihata was surprised.

'Kagami is acting strange lately! Is he going at it alone?!'

Understanding what his teammate wanted, Kuroko nodded slightly.

"Okay." He said, finally jogging to his position.

As the tall red head to his position, getting ready to jump for the tip off, he glanced over to the Seirin bench and at the race haired girl who wasn't even looking up at the game.

'More importantly.' Kagami thought, 'You should be more worried about _her_ than about how you should pass to me.'

* * *

"You know, the practice match isn't on the floor." Kiyoshi stated simply, startling the girl next to him when she realized he was talking to _her_.

Although the giant was successful in getting a reaction out of her, Mia still did not try to actually respond to him. Instead, she continued to stare at the floor, making Kiyoshi frown slightly.

"Ah!" He sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair, "And I was hoping that I would actually be able to talk to you properly since you were suddenly kicked out yesterday."

Mia scowled at the memory of having Kagami carry her out of the gym, despite her cries and thrashes.

"Oh I know! Why don't you tell me why you want to be our manager so badly?" Kiyoshi continued, "Maybe if it's a good reason, I can try and convince Riko somehow."

The sudden use of her name made Riko look at the duo in suspicion. She didn't especially love being a part of their conversation, whether it was one sided or not.

After a minute or two of complete silence from the girl next to him, Teppei laughed nervously and looked back at the game, trying to figure out something out to say to Mia to try and make her talk to him.

"...know." A small voice mumbled, surprising Kiyoshi.

"What was that?" He asked eagerly, switching his gaze back at his neighbor.

Taking a deep breath, Mia tried again, talking a little louder so that only Kiyoshi could hear her.

"I don't know." She said. "Why I want to be manager, I don't know."

"Is that so?" Teppei asked, never skipping a beat. "You seemed like you knew for sure why when you declared that you would cut your hair to prove how much you wanted the job."

Mia flinched when she remembered her declaration and her scowl deepened. Of course, none of this was noticed by the tall basketball player.

"To be quite honest, even _I_ didn't know that I wanted the job that much. Heck, I didn't know that I wanted the job at all." Fidgeting in her seat, Mia still refused to look up at Kiyoshi or the practice match, despite the Seirin team being in the lead. "It just that before I knew it, my body reacted on its own."

 _Aomine was always strong._

"It's the same feeling as when I decided to come back to Japan from America."

"Oh! So you're a returnee!" Kiyoshi exclaimed, interrupting Mia's explanation. Instead of becoming irritated, however, the girl became slightly confused that such a fact would interest him easily.

"...yes."

"Heh~"

Mia suddenly felt awkward under Kiyoshi's stare, the giant taking in every amount of information she was giving him.

"Hmmm." Teppei finally said, "Well, I'm not sure what happened to you before you came back to Japan and I'm not a girl so I don't know how young female brains function, but if you say that your body moved on its own then doesn't that mean you know exactly why you want to become manager?"

"Eh?"

The sudden blow of a whistle made Kiyoshi look back onto the court, leaving Mia to look at her Senpai from the corner of her eye in confusion and bewilderment.

"Foul! White ball!" The referee shouted, giving Seirin the basketball to resume the game.

"Alright!" Koganei cheered, "We're in the lead!"

"Kiyoshi." Mia called, grabbing the male's attention, "What do you mean I know exactly why I want to be manager? Ever since I got here, it's all just been a big roller coaster ride of confusion for me."

Looking down at Mia, Kiyoshi smiled knowingly, "That may be true. But when a person's body moves on its own, it usually means that their heart is the one making the decision and not the brain. You don't have to figure out why you wanted to come back or why you wanted to be manager, but at least know that the decisions you made weren't a mistake."

Turning back to watch the game, Kiyoshi felt satisfied with the advice he gave. Mia, however, felt like she was just slapped across the face as a wake up call. Her eyes are wide and her mouth was slightly open. Staring at Kiyoshi's profile, she was baffled that the man who just gave her advice and the man who showed up to practice wearing his jersey were the same person.

After what felt like an eternity, the corners of Mia's mouth lifted in a smile.

"Nicely said, Kiyoshi." She giggled, "I never would have thought that the 'Iron Heart', Kiyoshi Teppei, would give such amazing advice."

"I'm not really fond of that name." Kiyoshi laughed, slightly relieved that Mia had started to loosen up to him. "Oh and I think it is more polite if you use 'senpai' after saying my name."

"Sorry!" Mia apologized, "It's just after the Shoei vs Teiko game in middle school, I've been referring to you as just 'Kiyoshi'."

"Oh! Did you watch that game?" It felt nice to Kiyoshi to talk about his old middle school days, "We were beaten mercilessly. But, it was a good game nonetheless!"

"I was still pretty new to basketball around that time, so I can't remember if it was a good game in my own opinion or not. But I do remember you personally, Kiyoshi! I mean, Kiyoshi- _senpai_."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I remember how you had a 75.43% chance of shooting a three pointer, but since Ryouta-kun was marking you, you ended up passing to another team member, a choice that had a 9.31% chance of you actually accomplishing. The other 15.26% was you trying to pass Ryouta-kun, but even I knew that wasn't a smart plan at the time. Even, so you still decided to choose actions that were less likely to be done successfully. It messed up all my data I had on you and confused even my own team. Akashi-kun was very disappointed in me that day."

Kiyoshi was speechless after hearing Mia's story. Percentages? Actions? Data?

"Takagi-San..." Teppei said, grabbing the girl's attention "were you a member of Teiko's team?"

"Yes." Mia answered, "I was the Teiko Middle School Basketball Team's strategist."

* * *

 **Again I am sorry. TT^TT**

 **And yes. I'm going to keep Kuroko and Riko's conversation about Mia a secret until next chapter. Muahahaha! *cough***


	7. Teppei-nii

**Can you guys tell how little of a life I have by how quickly I updated?**

 **Haha! Anyway, i may try to updated everyday until I leave for my vacation in New York since I have plenty of free time until then and I need to do something to get through the day. Plus I have a good idea on how I want this fiction to go and I can't just keep it all in , ya know?**

 **Well, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 _"Kuroko-kun!" Riko called, grabbing the attention of the phantom man. "Sub out for a moment. There's something I need to discuss with you."_

 _"Yes?" Kuroko asked once he had made it to the bench._

 _"I wanted to ask you a question." The female coach stated, letting the basketball player wipe off some sweat with a towel before continuing. "Do you think you can tell me about Takagi Mia?"_

 _"Eh?"_

 _"That girl that came in today." Riko urged, "A week ago you two seemed like you knew each other quite well. And today she asked to become manager."_

 _"I know." Kuroko stated. "She made a scene not that long ago."_

 _"Eh...ummm..yeah." Riko didn't know where to start or where to end. All she knew was that the only way she was gonna know about this Mia girl was through the invisible man in front of her._

 _"Mia is Mia." The blue haired teen said, "She has her quirks and she may seem a little hard to handle, but she is nothing more than a friend to everyone."_

 _Riko was surprised. She's never heard such an honest and kind praise come from the younger male._

 _"But, she is still pretty reckless when she can be."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"Back in Teiko, she would get into a lot of fights with other schools who bad mouthed our team. In fact, she eventually told me that she got into plenty of fights at her school in America, resulting in her being expelled."_

 _'Expelled?!' Riko couldn't believe her ears. Why did such a reckless teenage girl think she could easily be their manager with such a history?!_

 _"But no matter how crazy she acted," Kuroko continued, "she always made up for it with her numbers."_

 _"What do you mean?" The senpai asked, confused at the vague description Kuroko was giving her._

 _"Mia never showed as much emotion in middle school as she does now." He explained, grabbing his water bottle and drinking some of the cool beverage to keep hydrated "Because of that, she was capable of observing things more than the average person observes a day. Her observations and 'data' turned into numbers or percentages, giving Teiko the ability to easily predict their movements even before the game started."_

 _"No way! Really?!" Riko exclaimed, looking at Kuroko as if she was waiting for him to say 'Just kidding!'._

 _"Yes. She would constantly tell us when it was a good time to shoot or to steal the ball or dribble down the court. Of course, she would let us do our own moves every once in a while so that it still felt like a basketball game, but even then she would tell us what moves our opponents would most likely take based on facts and percentages."_

 _Kuroko paused to drink some more water as he sat on the bench, waiting for his coach to take in everything he just said. Based on the look she was giving him, he knew it would be a while before Mia's ability fully sunk in._

 _"Mia is reckless and has been hard to handle since middle school, but she is still capable of amazing things, Coach. It wouldn't surprise me if she was still able to create impressive numbers even with the way she's changed since middle school."_

 _"..."_

 _It was hard for Riko to accept this. It was hard for her to believe that such a loud and annoying girl was capable of something so...advanced. But she_ had _to believe it. If even_ Kuroko _admits that her ability is dangerous, then she can't do anything else but believe._

 _"How about we make a challenge? One-on-one." Riko heard Teppei's voice say. It was loud enough for everyone in the gym to hear, but when she looked up she could tell that he was only directing that challenge towards Kagami. "Let's bet it on the ace position."_

 _"What?! Kiyoshi?!" Izuki exclaimed before Riko could say it._

 _'Just what is that idiot thinking?!' She thought before running over to them._

 _It seemed like the conversation had come to a close._

* * *

"Riko!" Teppei called once more, finally bringing the girl back to reality.

"What?" She asked, not aware that she had been staring out the window of Maji Burger for a good five minutes.

"I try to talk with you and all I get is silence." Kiyoshi responded, taking a sip out of his water cup. "And I thought eating with you would be nice for a change."

"Hey!" Riko yelled, slamming her food on the tray as she glared at the male in front of her. She was clearly irritated by what he said.

"...what are you up to?" She suddenly asked, taking a sip from her shake.

"Hm?"

Suddenly challenging Kagami-kun to a one-on-one then letting the first hears play..." Riko explained, "In the end, Kagami-kun took the win on his own. What are you planning?"

"Why does everyone always think I'm plotting something?" Kiyoshi asked in his defense. "I just wanted to test our skills in the one-on-one, I swear. As for the game, it was...for _that_."

When Riko looked at him in confusion, Kiyoshi continued.

"I wanted to let Kuroko-kun know..."

* * *

 _Swish_

 _Swish_

Basketballs continues to go through the hoop as Hyuga threw several three pointers. A couple of them had missed their mark -a normal thing since the captain wasn't a monster like Kagami- but most of them had made it through the hoop, much to Hyuga's satisfaction.

'Since I didn't get a chance to play today, I'm still full of power.' He thought, sighing at how much energy he had left. 'Guess I'll double my throwing practice for today.'

"Okay." Hyuga said to himself as he grabbed another orange ball and positioned himself to throw it like the others.

Unfortunately for him, he didn't notice the unexpected guest who had walked up beside him.

"Hello." Kuroko greeted, making Hyuga freeze as he looked over to see who it was.

"WAAAAAAAA?!"

The ball didn't make its target that time.

* * *

"Right now, Kuroko's play is at its limit." Kiyoshi finished, drinking the rest of the water in his cup as Riko took in what he was telling her.

Hearing two impossible things in one day was not good for her brain.

* * *

"Huh?!" Hyuga said after Kuroko had finished telling him his problem. "L-Limit?! More importantly, why?!"

Even the glasses wearing captain was having trouble understanding what Kuroko was trying to tell him.

"Like this, I'll just drag down Seirin." Kuroko explained, his voice as monotone as ever but his words piercing Hyuga like a bullet. "Also..."

 _"I don't know what I'm doing, Tetsuya."_

 _"I don't even know why I'm here anymore."_

'I can't let her see that my strength is dwindling as well.'

"Therefore," the shorter male continued, "please make Kiyoshi-senpai a starter."

* * *

"Positively said, his kind of play is the 'supporting others' style. The other four get stronger or weaker accordingly."

At this point, everything else in the fast food restaurant seemed to have disappeared to Riko. The only thing on her mind right now, was Teppei and his theory.

He may be dumb, but his conclusions are nothing to sniff at.

"Speaking negatively, however, you can call it the 'leave it to the others' style. If the result had been worse than I imagined in that game, it would be the first years are less capable than the second years. With that current style, he can only hope for the others to get stronger. Since he doesn't seek big chances in his own 's needed to break down this wall, is to abandon that style."

"He needs to create a new style for himself."

* * *

"Man!" Hyuga complained, running his fingers through his black hair as he sighed at Kuroko's request. "You finally take the initiative to start talking and you end up saying this."

"DONT GET COCKY!" The captain yelled, hitting the younger classman upside the head and making him stumble.

"Remove you from the starters?! Have you ever thought about those sitting on the bench? Don't even give me that shit! If you're serious then go to the coach!"

"But..." Kuroko tried to argue, but it was really hard to do so after the captain's scolding.

"No means no!"

Sighing once more, Hyuga looked at the blue haired teen in front of him, wondering how the hell their team managed to get such morons as players.

"When we started the club," Hyuga began again, his voice much more calm "Kiyoshi's style was of the top center. He was the tallest and we were still newbies who could only rely on him. What Kiyoshi is best at is to support the other teammates, the point guard position. But for the sake of the team, he took the center position. At the same time, he felt the limit of the position he wasn't used to. Then one day, Koganei suggested he do both. Since then, Kiyoshi combined the center and point guard positions and created his own style. Thanks to that, we advanced to the final league."

"You and Kiyoshi are different, but is that really the only thing you can do?"

Kuroko looked down in thought after hearing Hyuga's story, his advice making him think about his decisions again. Seeing the look on his kohai' face made Hyuga look away and take up another basketball.

"Well, I'm not forcing you into anything so I'll stop now. But, if you really want to quit, then at least talk with Kagami. He's at the park with a ball."

The sudden use of his teammate caught Kuroko's attention, his face looking back up at his captain just as he shot another basket.

"We talked after the match today. It seems like he's done some thinking. He believes in you."

Those words caught the younger male off guard, his eyes widening at the new he had just received.

"Also," Hyuga added, grabbing yet another basketball "I'm guessing that friend of yours believes in you too. It would be a shame if you let them both down."

Remembering Mia and the state she was in yesterday, made Kuroko clutch his fists at his sides. Turning around he darted for the door, calling over his shoulder at Hyuga before he left.

"Excuse me." He said "and thank you!"

"Is that it?" Hyuga called back, bending his legs before he shot another three pointer.

"Yes!"

It was dark outside, but Kuroko felt like there was a light leading him to where he needed to be.

* * *

"Wait, Teppei, I don't understand." Riko said, "You want him to _change_ his style?"

"Well I say abandoning, but not changing the vector."

Slight movement outside caught Kiyoshi's eye, and once he realized what it was, a smile crept up on his face.

"No..." He said "I bet he's alright already."

"Eh?" Looking out the window next to them, Riko saw Kuroko's small figure jogging down the sidewalk, a smile on his face.

"Hmph." Riko chuckled, placing her chin in the palm of her hand "Boys sure are lucky."

When Kuroko's silhouette finally disappeared from their sights, Kiyoshi looked back at Riko, still smiling.

"What?" She asked, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Let's talk about Mia-san." Kiyoshi stated, resting his chin on the backs of his hands as he placed his elbows on the table. Shocked by what the topic had changed to, Riko spit and choked on her shake.

"' _Mia-san'?!_ " Riko exclaimed, wiping vanilla shake off her chin with the back of her hand.

"Why is it that it's so surprising to talk about her?" Teppei asked, handing Riko a napkin "Both you and Hyuga have done the same thing after I mentioned Mia-san."

"Well, why the hell do you have to mention her in the first place? And what's with the 'Mia-san'?"

"She's amazing, Riko." Kiyoshi answered, remembering what she had told him during the practice match about her percentages and data. "She has to become our manager."

Riko stared at Kiyoshi in bewilderment. She knew by the tone of his voice that he wasn't joking nor did he not car. He genuinely meant what he said.

'Does he know about her ability also?' Riko wondered.

"I agree that she has potential and can be of great use to us. But..."

 _"Back in Teiko, she would get into a lot of fights with other schools who bad mouthed our team. In fact, she eventually told me that she got into plenty of fights at her school in America, resulting in her being expelled."_

"We don't need anyone if they are just going to be immature and reckless."

Teppei stared at Riko, thinking about her words carefully before looking down and picking up one of her fries to eat.

"I bet you're going to say that I'm making the wrong choice, huh?" Riko said, picking up a fry as well and lifting it to her mouth.

"I trust you, Riko." Kiyoshi simply answered "You are our coach. You decide what to do."

She knew his words were supposed to be encouraging, but they just made Riko feel all the more confused.

* * *

'Focus. Keep your eye on the target.' Mia thought, her arm raised, 'Visualize where you want it to go. From there...SHOOT!'

 _Plunk_

"GODDAMN IT!" Mia screamed, kicking the dirt underneath her.

She was feeling much better than yesterday that was for sure. A few slaps after the practice match that day really woke her up from her slump, especially since they made her middle finger throb for the rest of the day. Now, however, she was trying to fling a penny at the top of a large, three tier fountain in the middle of a park she didn't know, trying to piece together Kiyoshi's words to her.

 _"You don't have to figure out why you wanted to come back or why you wanted to be manager, but at least know that the decisions you made weren't a mistake."_

 _Plunk_

"Mmmmmmmm..." Mia growled, biting her tongue to keep from screaming a curse again as she lost yet _another_ penny to the second tier of the fountain instead of the third tier at the top.

Taking a deep breath she bent down and grabbed her bag before walking away from the large fountain. She didn't want to continue that same pattern until she ran out of change. Plus, she hoped that the summer breeze would clear her head as she walked home.

'So my heart knows more than my brain does, huh?' Mia thought, thinking about her senpai's words once more. 'I never thought I would see the day where something was smarter than my brain.'

It was true. With all the A's and 100's she got on her tests in middle school, it was no wonder that Mia couldn't comprehend her feelings like a normal person. She wasn't used to having to rely on her heart to make her decisions.

Walking down the sidewalk, the raven haired girl noticed a large fence appear beside her, indicating a court was held at the park. Peering inside out of curiosity, Mia saw that it was in fact a back to back basketball court.

'I really can't get away from the sport, can I?'

She continued to walk past the first court, and only slowed down when she heard the sound of dribbling coming from the court next door. Not wanting to disturb whoever was training, Mia quietly stepped past the large bush that grew in between both courts and tried to go on her way.

However, the familiar sight of dark red hair caught the young girl's eye.

"Tiger?!" Mia whispered in surprise, noticing how the male was practicing with his eyes closed.

She watched him dribble from side to side, slowing down then speeding up like he would do to pass by an opponent. He then stopped and continued these movements once more. It was like he was imagining his own one-on-one game.

"Wow." Mia breathed, totally taken aback by how Kagami moved. Now that she thought about it, she never really saw how the first years played during their practice match that day. If she knew that Kagami moved like this, she would have watched him the entire game, scanning him.

In fact, scanning him didn't seem like a bad idea right _now._

Lightly grabbing the metal fence in front of her, Mia kept her hard gaze on the moving beast as he moved left and right. Each of his movements were swift and nimble, yet she knew of a certain basketball player who would make Kagami's moves seem rough and reckless. The redhead panted heavily after several more steps, letting Mia know that he has probably been here for some time before she spotted him. Despite that, and despite the fact that he had a practice match earlier that day, he kept on practicing. Even she had to admit that that was impressive.

"All data received." Mia finally said after several minutes. This time her timing was a lot shorter than when she scanned Kiyoshi. "Scan comple-"

"Kagami-kun!" A voice suddenly called from the other side of the court.

Quickly, Mia shrunk and slammed her back against the large bush between the basketball courts, her arms outstretched and against the plant to balance herself. She began taking multiple short and shallow breaths as her heart pounded against her ears, making her feel like she just ran a marathon.

'Crap!' She thought, 'I didn't know Tetsuya was gonna come looking for Tiger!'

Hesitantly, the teenager peered over the leaves of the bush, watching as Kuroko stood in front of Kagami with his hands on his knees.

'They didn't see me did they?'

After about a minute, Kuroko stood up straight and began to talk with Kagami in a normal tone. Knowing that they most likely didn't notice her presence, Mia let out a quiet sigh of relief and properly sat down on the sidewalk.

"What's up?" She heard Kagami ask from behind the bush.

"...I'm sorry." Kuroko responded, "I haven't thought that far ahead."

"Hey!"

"Give me a minute."

"You're thinking it all up _now_?!"

Mia slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. It wasn't like Tetsuya to not think things through. Doing something like that must have been a first for him.

The sudden slap of someone catching a basketball caught the girl's attention.

"Since you're not doing anything, let's play while you think." Kagami's voice explained, "I'll take you on."

Not wanting to miss a chance at observing other people's plays, Mia peered over the hedge again, trying to be quiet as she did so.

Almost immediately after Kuroko began bouncing the ball, Kagami stole it and dunked it through the hoop, making the headboard shake slightly. He was agile and clever and his movements never faltered. Seeing Kagami play against himself was nothing compared to him playing against someone else. It made Mia's eyes widen slightly.

"Kagami Taiga." She whispered quietly to herself, her eyes narrowing as she realized the data she had collected on the beast was similar to the other players of the Generation of Miracles "Out of 120...physical ability is at 111.235%, technique is at 99.701%, his stamina is at 98.50% mental strength is at 103.592% and his special ability, jumping, is at...115.99%..."

As the two boys continued to play against each other, Kagami obviously gaining the upper hand, Mia's deep blue eyes watched quietly. She didn't know how she should feel about finding someone almost on par with the Generation of Miracles.

"Alright!" Kagami cheered after score yet another basket, "Fourteenth point!"

"Ummm" Kuroko piped up from behind, "Please cut me some slack. I can't think like this."

"I'm already going easy! You're just too weak!"

"..."

"It reminds me of when we first played against each other. When I got to know your real power, I was shocked! ...maybe."

Smiling knowingly, Mia leaned back against the bush again. She tried to imagine how Kuroko went about teaming up with Kagami.

'He probably said something about a 'shadow' again.' She thought, chuckling softly at the idea.

Looking up at the starry sky, Mia thought, again, about Kiyoshi's words.

 _"If you say your body moved on its own, then doesn't that mean you know exactly why you want to become manager?"_

"..."

Why she wanted to be manager? She couldn't even figure out why she wanted to come back to Japan in the first place! Or was this even a feeling of want? Although very rare, Mia _did_ come to have a few moments where she wanted something in the past, and they never made her feel like how she was feeling right now.

So what was it?

"Hey..." Kagami's voice spoke, making Mia listen in again "There is one thing that has been bothering me since then. Why did you choose me?"

Instead of answering immediately, Kuroko took a minute before breathing in and responding.

"I'm sorry." He said "I have to apologize."

"Huh?"

"I lied to you."

Although Mia wasn't able to fully grasp the meaning behind their conversation, even she was a little surprised by Kuroko's response. Turning her head to try and listen better, she made the bush rustle loudly, resulting her her whipping her head back to its original position to not be caught. Luckily, no one seemed to notice.

"During my time in middle school," Kuroko continued "I got my sixth man uniform."

"Yeah I know. You were the trump card of the Generation of Miracles."

'Trump card?' Mia thought 'I never heard that name before.'

"That's not quite right. That position was entrusted to me, but I wasn't trusted."

Mia flinched slightly hearing her friend's words. Her fingers curled into fists on the warm concrete beneath her and her knees were moved up for her to tuck her chin in. Not once did she think that someone else would say out loud the words she had been thinking.

"No, more precisely, I lost their trust."

 _"Micchi!"_

 _"Takagi."_

 _"Oi, Mia!"_

 _"Taka-chin~!"_

 _"Takagi-san."_

 _"Mi-chan!"_

"At the time, I think they still trusted me. But everyone evolved like Aomine-kun, and their trust decreased."

 _"I'm sorry."_

 _"I don't think you should speak with me today."_

 _"Shut up!"_

 _"..."_

 _"You don't have to do that anymore."_

 _"Mi-chan..."_

"So the truth is, it didn't have to be you. I just wanted them to acknowledge my way of basketball, by _using_ you."

Looking down at the ground, Mia thought carefully about what Kuroko said.

"Using..." Mia whispered quietly to herself. As if something finally started moving in Mia's head, her eyes slowly few wider and her mouth opened as a silent gasp left her lips.

'So that's it!'

"Man. And here I was wondering what you would say. Turns out to be that shit." Kagami said "I always felt it. Besides, "they" and I are the same."

Turning his back on the phantom player, he walked over to the basketball laying on the ground. There was still other business he had to attend to after talking with Kuroko.

"I've always wondered why you who denied them and quit Teiko, would pair up with me. Or rather I accepted it. Everyone has his or her reason to play basketball. I'm not really-"

"No!" Kuroko shouted, making The girl behind the bush gulp. She hadn't heard Kuroko be _that_ loud in a while.

"You're already wrong!" He said, lowering his voice "In all the games until now, you always believed in me. Also, your imaginative training I looked at earlier, was for the purpose of playing together with everyone."

Mia had to stifle a laugh when she heard Kagami cough in his hand out of embarrassment.

"Your words after our loss weren't words of farewell, but words of short separation to gradually grow stronger individually. So, let me correct myself. I'm glad I came to Seirin. All the seniors are nice. My classmates, who try hard together, are also nice. You believed in me. I am no longer the Kuroko Tetsuya of Teiko Middle School...I am the Kuroko Tetsuya of Seirin High School!"

As the wind picked up, it made Mia's black hair blow away from her face. Her breathing was steady and her eyes were fixed ahead of her. Although she wasn't really staring at anything, her deep blue orbs were filled with only one thing. Determination.

"I want to become, together with you, with everyone, Japan's number one. For that purpose, I'll get stronger, and defeat the Generation of Miracles."

The fire in Mia's eyes never burned as bright as it did that night.

"I had that goal from the beginning." Kagami finally got to say, pretty damn happy about his partner's resolve "And it's not "want". We _will_ become the number one in Japan!"

Smiling, Kuroko nodded "yes."

The smaller male stared at Kagami in confusion when the beast sighed heavily.

"Now then." He said, lifting his arm and aiming the orange basketball at the fence in front of him. Using only half of his strength, he threw the ball, making it collide with metal and scaring the girl right next to it who was hiding behind the bush.

"KYAAA!" Mia screamed, realizing only too late that she had yelled out loud. It was pretty loud too.

"How long are you going to hid behind there?" Kagami demanded, watching with Kuroko as Mia poked her head from behind the large plant into their view.

"Oh!" Mia said "So you knew I was hiding?"

"It was hard _not_ to notice when you kept making all that noise!"

"And you just let me listen?"

"I had no choice. I didn't want to interrupt Kuroko."

"Aww. You _do_ have manners after all."

"Shut up!"

Laughing, Mia picked up her bag and lightly jogged from her spot on the ground to the entrance of the basketball court. Once she made it past the tall entrance gates, she tossed her bag aside on the ground and held up her hands for the ball. Raising his eyebrow at the girl, Kagami tossed her to basketball, watching as she dribbled it in front of her.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop on you guys." Mia explained, "But to be quite honest, I'm really glad that I did."

Bouncing the ball several more times, the raven haired girl looked up at the basketball hoop before stopping and taking the position to throw it.

Or so Kagami thought.

Instead of doing a normal toss to the hoop like he expected her to do, Mia just looked up at the hoop before using all of her strength to pound the ball on the ground. Flying recklessly, the Orange sphere managed to hit the backboard, then the ring of the hoop, before slowly falling into the basket with a _swoosh_.

"What?!" Kagami exclaimed, unaware of Mia's peace sign of victory " _HOW_?!"

"I came back to Japan without clearly understanding why I wanted to do so in the first place." Mia said, ignoring the redhead's questions.

"OI!"

"Because of that I became easily confused and I blame myself for that. I thought I changed since middle school. I thought I knew why I came back here . I also thought I knew why I wanted to become Seirin's manager. In the end, I just did exactly what I did at Teiko. I kept moving forward without fully grasping my feelings. I don't want to do that anymore."

Although totally unaware of what the girl was talking about, Kagami looked at Mia with a serious expression. Thinking back to how she had acted during the practice match that day, he couldn't help but listen to her closely.

'Don't tell me she's been thinking about that all day!' Kagami thought, glancing over at Kuroko who seemed to have a similar expression as he did.

"Teppei-nii told me earlier today that the reason I came back to Japan was because my heart knew what I wanted before my brain did."

' _Teppei-nii?!'_

"I was able to understand a little more since then, but since I never really used my heart to make my decisions in the past before, I still needed to piece together a lot of things by myself. It wasn't until I heard what you said, Tetsuya, that made me clearly understand everything."

Now knowing that he became a part of Mia reasoning, his face softened. The serious expression from before had vanished and was now replaced by a look of curiosity.

"I want to help you. That's why I insisted on being manager. It's a natural instinct that humans have that even _I_ could understand from a mile away. When your friends are in trouble or have difficult obstacles in their path, you automatically make it your duty to help them. But even though that's my purpose of becoming manger, that's not why I came back. You said that you planned on using Tiger to defeat the others from Teiko. Well, that reminded me of how I thought everyone relied on me back then. I thought that they trusted me too. But it was actually _me_ who was being used."

Kuroko and Kagami stared at Mia as they took everything in. One male knew exactly where she was coming from while the other was oblivious to what she was trying to tell them. However, both of them were still able to clearly understand her words.

Opening his mouth, Kuroko tried to say something to Mia, thinking that what she was telling them was hurting her. But, before he could do anything, the girl looked up and waved her hand in front of her face.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm not angry or sad about that!" She said, dismissing the idea like she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"I understood my role and accepted it back in Teiko, just like you Tetsuya. I also don't plan on changing my role at Seirin. That's why I want to be manager."

"So what?" Kagami questioned "Are you saying that you felt you were needed back here in Japan so you came back to help?"

"No." Mia answered "I didn't come back to Japan because I wanted to. I also didn't come back to Japan because I needed to. I believe I could have helped Tetsuya if I stayed in America. But like a computer, I work best when I'm used in the place I was created in. I belong here. _That's_ why I came back."

Satisfied with her words, she looked at Kuroko, a smile on her face. It was then that the real haired teen saw the slight glimmer in her deep blue eyes. The small fire of determination that he hadn't seen in years.

'Computer, huh?' Kagami thought, smirking at the thought before picking up the basketball from the ground again and tossing it to Kuroko.

As if he could read his mind, Kuroko tossed the round ball in the air just as Kagami ran up to it. Jumping, he grabbed the airborne ball and slammed it into the basketball hoop.

'Interesting.'

As for Mia, she merely stared at Kagami's form, her blue eyes wide with awe.

 _"I am no longer the Kuroko Tetsuya of Teiko Middle School...I am the Kuroko Tetsuya of Seirin High School!"_

'And I'm the Takagi Mia of Seirin High School!' She thought a smile on her face 'Yeah. I like the sound of that.'

* * *

"But what will you do to get stronger, Kuroko?" Kagami asked suddenly. The three teenagers were walking down the street to their respective homes, Mia bouncing the redhead's basketball as they went.

"...I don't know." Kuroko answered. Both Kagami and Mia whipped their heads at their friend next to them in surprise.

"What?!"

"It's okay Tetsuya." Mia comforted, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"But I will definitely find out." Kuroko reaffirmed "Before the winter cup."

Hearing the male's strong goal and determination made both Kagami and Mia smile. Trying to spin the basketball on her finger, Mia glanced next to her to see Kagami raise his fist at Kuroko, the smaller teenager looking at it in surprise.

"Idiot." Kagami said "Saying stupid stuff like that. I'll get stronger too. I'm gonna leave you behind of you slack off."

As their fists bumped together, Mia's smile widened, making her cheeks hurt. It was times like these when she wished she would have expressed her happiness more in Teiko. In fact she was surprised that she kept it in at all.

"Oh yeah, and _you_!" Kagami said, referring to Mia. Once the female noticed that she was being called out she froze, catching the spinning basketball in her hands as she looked at Kagami in surprise.

"This has been bugging me ever since you said it, but what the hell is with this 'Teppei-nii' crap?!"

"Oh that." Mia responded, a little confused as to why it was such a big deal.

* * *

 _"Takagi-San!" Kyoshi called, running to the small girl before she left. He noticed her get up before the others did after the practice match was over, fully intended to leave before she was stopped. However, the senior had something to say to her and he was determined to say it before she left._

 _"Yes?" Mia answered, looking at Kiyoshi curiously._

 _"I had an idea!" He said, lightly panting "To fix your problem with calling me 'Kiyoshi' instead of 'Kiyoshi-senpai', how about you just call me 'Teppei-nii' instead?"_

 _"Eh?"_

 _"It's shorter than 'Kiyoshi-senpai' so it should be easier to remember, right?"_

 _"But, Kiyoshi-senpai" Mia responded "it's really not a problem for me to call you 'Senpai'."_

 _"Teppei-nii." Kiyoshi insisted, his hands on his hips_

 _"But-"_

 _"Teppei-nii."_

 _The girl stared at the tall basketball player for a minute before giggling at his childlike behavior._

 _"Ok! I guess if that's what you prefer, I don't see why not."_

 _"There we go! Oh! It's fine if I call you Mia-san now, right?"_

 _"Sure! I don't mind."_

* * *

"And that's what happened." Mia said, concluding her story.

The two males in front of her stared at her in disbelief, neither one wanting to believe that what they just heard was true.

"What the hell?!" Kagami exclaimed, startling Mia "Just what exactly goes on in that brain of his?!"

"Mia, you really shouldn't easily accept a nickname someone made for themselves." Kuroko lightly scolded, patting the girl's head.

"Eh?"

After a couple of minutes of scolding and arguing, the three teenagers finally continued walking down the path to go home, each one refusing to talk to one another for a bit.

"Oi." Kagami finally said, making Mia flinched. In the midst of arguing, the two someone ended up walking next to each other while Kuroko stood on the other side of Mia.

"Hmm." Mia replied, still pouting as she looked ahead of her. Thinking that he wanted his basketball back, she clutched it to her chest, arms wrapping around it tightly.

"What are you gonna do if you don't get to be manager?"

Surprised that such a normal question came out of Kagami's mouth, Mia stared up at the beast. Her blue eyes widened but then slowly relaxed as she smiled at him then at the road ahead of her.

"Unfortunately, that's not an option." She answered, confidently "But even if it was, I would still find ways to help you guys become number one."

Kagami grinned at Mia's answer, somehow feeling like he already knew her answer before she even said it.

"Takagi Mia!" He called.

"Yes?" Mia answered, looking up at him confused.

"If you're going to help us, I might as well call you by your name for once." Kagami explained, looking down at Mia as she took in his words.

Realizing that this was, in fact, the first time Kagami has used her name, Mia smiled.

She liked the feeling of her name being called like that.

* * *

"Takagi Mia!"

She did not, however, like the feeling of her name being called like _that_.

Outside of classroom 1-B stood Seirin's basketball coach, her pink whistle already around her neck even though it was only the lunch period.

"Coach?!" Kagami exclaimed behind Mia. The raven haired girl was on her way to sit with both the redhead and Kuroko before she was suddenly stopped by the brown haired second year.

Looking over her shoulder, Mia saw Riko gesture for her to walk over to her. Slightly nervous after what happened two days ago, Mia set her small bento on top of Kuroko's desk, letting the invisible man 'guard' it as she left to talk with the coach.

"Yes?" Mia answered, stepping outside the classroom and in front of Riko.

Instead of answering immediately like Mia was prepared for, the female second year stared at the girl intently. Her brown eyes never moving from Mia's. The situation seemed like an intense staring contest, with neither female blinking or breaking. Eventually, Riko sighed and shoved s small piece of paper at Mia.

"Here." She said, not looking as Mia carefully accepted the parchment.

"What's this?"

"The basketball team is gonna hold a summer training camp over the break to get ready for the Winter Cup." Riko explained, her hands crossed over in front of her chest. "Although we haven't decided officially on where it's going to be, those dates written down are of when we will be gone."

"So this means..."

"If you prove to me during the summer training camp that you are true to your word and that you are worthy enough, then I will accept you as our team's manager."

* * *

 **Sorry for such a slow chapter. I hope it didn't bore any of you! But we need character development!**

 **I've been meaning to say something to you guys! I have a general idea on how I want this fanfiction to end (i know Im lame. I just started this fic after all) but I was wondering if you guys would want little one shots of Mia and each member of the Generation of Miracles afterwards. There is a poll on my profile and it will be closed next Friday (6/19/15) because that's when I leave for my vacation in New York.**

 **Anyway, give me your opinions and thank you for reading this chapter!**


	8. It's Okay to Die

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

" _Aomine-kun!"_

 _The tan basketball player stopped walking to turn and see who was summoning him. However, the crowded halls of Teiko made it difficult for him to navigate the source of the voice. With the big cultural festival going on, it wouldn't have surprised him if he accidentally heard someone call his name._

 _"Aomine-kun!" The voice called again. It was close enough for Aomine to recognize it as Takagi Mia, but with no sight of the raven haired girl, he began to wonder if it was all his imagination._

 _"AOMINE-KUN!" Mia screamed, making several people around her stop what they were doing and stare at her. Luckily, they seemed to have moved out of her way, giving her access to the man she was looking for._

 _As the small girl came over towards him, Aomine stared in surprise. He never thought that she could get that loud if she wanted to._

 _"I was finally able to reach you." Mia said, not showing any signs of having difficulties through the halls. "Sacchan requested that I look for you."_

 _"Satsuki?" Aomine question, arching his eyebrow at the girl in front of him "Why?"_

 _"She said I look lonely and that I should 'hang out' with someone today." Mia's attempt to put air quotation marks on the term 'hang out' was something quite humorous to the taller teen._

 _"Why don't you hang out with her then?" He asked, turning to leave._

 _"She said that you probably have nothing better to do." The assistant manager replied quickly, managing to answer Aomine before he left her in the dust. The response, however, seemed to piss off the dark haired male as he had stopped walking immediately and turned to glare at the expressionless girl._

 _"She also said that she had business with Kuroko-kun."_

 _"Tetsu?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _Growling and mumbling to himself, Aomine looked down at the floor then back up at Mia, the girl's deep blue eyes never breaking contact with his dark ones. It always annoyed him how she never showed what she was thinking like a normal person. Well, at least he knew who to go to if he ever needed someone to play poker for him._

 _"What are they doing?" Aomine asked. He expected her to at least know what they were doing if Satsuki was so excited to get rid of her._

 _"They are entering-!" Before she could finish her sentence, Mia was shoved aside by someone passing by. The sudden force made the girl stumble, but she kept her balance._

 _"As I was saying-!" Again, she was bumped into. This time the force made her back away as a group of girls marched passed them._

 _Aomine watched the situation with raised eyebrows, not really sure how he was supposed to react. Especially since whenever the strategist was pushed around, she always managed to stay on her feet._

 _"Ao..mine...kun..." Mia struggled, squished between multiple students going their own way. Her eyes squeezed shut and she held out her hands in the air as if she was waiting for something to grab hold of her and free her._

 _Sighing, the giant finally gave in. Rubbing the back of his neck, Aomine reached over and grabbed Mia's wrist. With a small tug, she was free from the crowd of people, stumbling over her feet once more and falling into the basketball player's chest. She blinked several times before looking up at Aomine._

 _"Thank you." She said simply._

 _It seemed like just a normal sentence of gratitude, but with the close proximity and the way the girl's big eyes stared deep into Aomine's narrow ones, the blue haired teen found himself feeling just a little bit awkward._

 _Just a little._

 _"Now as I was saying before." Mia spoke, continuing where she had been rudely interrupted "Sacchan went to find Kuroko-kun by the stamp rally registration booth."_

 _"What?" Aomine questioned "What the hell are they gonna do there?"_

 _"My guess is that they will participate in the event." Her voice was monotonous as ever, but her words made a vein pop on Aomine's forehead as he felt like she was being sarcastic._

 _"I know. What I'm trying to figure out is why they are participating in it."_

 _"Well then, why don't we go and find out." Mia suggested, freeing herself from Aomine's hold and walking towards the direction that would lead them to the ground floor._

 _The sight of the strategist trying to make her way through the large crowd before her made the taller male only sigh. He looked up at Mia failing to break the barrier of middle schoolers before grabbing her wrist once more, pulled her back into him again._

 _"You're obviously not going anywhere like that." He said, pulling her behind him. "Just stay behind me."_

 _The command wasn't threatening, nor was it scary. However, it was enough to let Mia know that Aomine was serious, forcing the girl to allow the basketball player to pull her along by her wrist._

 _Surprisingly, the wall of students dispatched easily as Aomine walked passed them, creating an empty trail for both teens to go down. Looking around, Mia observed as each of the students' expressions were either serious or scared as they watched them walk down the hall._

 _"Oh, I see." Mia spoke "It's because Aomine-kun is scary."_

 _"What was that?" The boy in question threatened, stopping abruptly to look down at the raven haired girl. He noticed how she had pulled her black locks into a high ponytail, the tips reaching down the nape of her neck._

 _The thought of how her hair had grown longer was pushed to the back of Aomine's mind as he remembered why he was even looking at her._

 _"It was nothing." Mia had responded, refusing to look at the man's death glare. Instead, she chose to try and move ahead of the navy haired male, but was forced back behind him as a swarm of middle schoolers tried to move passed them._

 _"…You really don't stand out much do you?" Aomine asked, a hint of boredom in his voice as he continued moving forward towards the stairs._

 _"I do not see a reason why I should."_

 _"Hmmm…"_

 _The duo's conversation died out awkwardly, forcing both teens to continue walking down the stairs in silence. Although, most of the time, Aomine would have loved to not have to say a word to get the point across that he didn't feel like having a conversation, it was the girl with him that made him feel like not having a conversation was equivalent to having to sit in class for eight hours straight._

 _'Ugh.' The tan player thought before stopping abruptly in the middle of the second flight of stairs they were walking down, causing the girl behind him to almost run into him._

 _"Aomine-kun?" Mia asked, looking down at the teen for once as she stood on a step two steps higher than him._

 _Turning to face the girl with ebony hair, Aomine still held onto her wrist, giving it a slight squeeze as he pulled together what he wanted to say._

 _"Hey." He spoke, his voice deep and rough like Mia always familiarized it to be. "You…"_

 _"Aomine-kun?" A smooth, cool voice spoke, making the person behind it known._

 _"GWAAA!" Aomine jumped, almost toppling over the side of the stairs. He caught himself in time but whipped his head behind him, ready to glare at whoever it was that almost killed him. Finding the familiar head of teal hair and matching eyes, he facial features morphed into that of pleasant surprise._

 _"Tetsu!"_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"How long have you been there?"_

 _"Quite a while actually." Kuroko said, taking off his black jacket as he did so._

 _It was by far the fanciest Aomine has ever seen Kuroko. With his black coat, vest, pants and shoes, Kuroko Tetsuya managed to pass of the image of a well defined butler, the white gloves on his hands completing the look._

 _"I'm sorry if I interrupted what you wanted to say to Takagi-san." Kuroko finished, placing the black coat over his arm as he looked back up at Aomine._

 _"Ah, no it's fine." The taller male replied, rubbing the back of his head as he looked from Tetsu to Mia who was looking between the two with her normal expression- if you call it an expression at all. However, Aomine could have sworn that in the midst of almost falling over or down the stairs thanks to Kuroko's surprise appearance, Mia actually looked surprised as well. But, by the time he looked back at the girl, any evidence of her ever being surprised or shocked at all as gone._

 _Figures._

 _"I thought you would be with Sacchan." Mia said towards Kuroko. "Weren't you both going to enter the Stamp Rally?"_

 _"I was on my way down to go meet up with Momoi-san now." Kuroko answered, taking off his white gloves and stuffing them in his pockets._

 _"Seriously?" Aomine piped up, "Well if you're going, Tetsu, Takagi and I are coming with you. I need to say a thing or two to Satsuki about dumping this on me."_

 _As if to prove his point, Aomine lifted the hand holding on to Mia's wrist while the other one pointed at her. Mia's eyes strayed from Kuroko to the back of Aomine's head, her brain coming up with so many things to say to retaliate but her mouth refusing to say any of them._

 _"I'm fine with that." Tetsuya replied. "But, I don't think you should be referring to Takagi-san as an object, Aomine-kun. It's quite rude."_

 _"Yeah, yeah." Aomine dismissed "Let's just go already before the crowd gets bigger at the registration booth."_

 _Going down the last flight of stairs with Kuroko by his side, Mia walked behind Aomine once more. It was obvious that the girl wasn't a part of the boys' conversation. But she didn't mind._

 _In fact, what interest Mia more was that even though it was probably okay to just stick closely to the duo and the they didn't have to worry about people running into her again…_

 _Aomine never let go of her wrist._

 _As the navy haired basketball player continued asking Kuroko questions as to why he was dressed as a butler in the first place, thoughts about how small and warm Mia's wrist was continuously crossed his mind._

* * *

"Aomine-kun!" Momoi Satsuki called yet again, trying to get the sleeping giant on the roof of Touou Academy to wake up from his slumber.

It startled the pink haired girl when Aomine's eyes suddenly snapped open, his dark orbs staring straight into her magenta ones as her head was hovered over his own. Figuring out that the one who had called him was just his old childhood friend, the male's eyes slowly narrowed.

"Oh, it's just you, Satsuki." Aomine grumbled, turning over to his side so that he wouldn't have to look at the girl's face in front of him.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Momoi exclaimed, walking over in front of the man's face again so that he only saw a pair of black socks adorning pale legs.

Actually, he lied.

That wasn't the only thing he saw.

"What's up with your panties today, Satsuki?" The basketball player asked as he lifted his head slightly to get a better look "I never thought you would get a pair like those."

Instantly, Satsuki's face turned beat red, her eyes widening in horror.

"PERVERT!" She screeched. Swinging her leg back, she attempted to kick Aomine in the gut. However, her plan failed when the teenager swiftly pushed himself back so that there was a good amount of distance between Momoi and himself. It was as if he knew it was coming.

"I can't believe you would say something like that!" The victimized girl continued. Marching over to the ladder that led to the door of the roof, Satsuki looked back over at Aomine in a final attempt to talk to him. When all she saw was his back towards her again, her fists tightened at her sides and she immediately started climbing down the ladder.

"Aomine-kun, you're such a dumb idiot!" She yelled before finally slamming the door shut behind her.

Laying on his side for a few minutes, Aomine tried to fall back into the euphoric state that was sleep. But after being robbed of that sensation by both Momoi, the tan player rolled back over onto his back and placed his hands behind his head. If he couldn't go to sleep on his own, then he would just have to settle on staring up at the boring, blue sky until does.

Watching as not a single cloud rolled by, Aomine thought back to his dream and how stupid he realized he was back then. It then dawned on him how similar Mia's wrist felt compared to that stranger he met at a convenience store a few days ago. Soft, warm, and so small. He felt like his fingers could overlap each other if he tried. But, since his hands were so big compared to normal Japanese hands, this was probably the case with everything he held.

Lifting his right hand towards the sky and closing his eyes, Aomine pretended that he holding a basketball and that he was getting ready to dunk it into the hoop. When all he saw was a certain ebony haired girl instead, he scowled.

There was no way that they could be the same person. He knew that. Takagi Mia had left them all so suddenly that it would take a miracle to bring her back just as promptly.

But in a small corner of his mind, Aomine Daiki really wished it was her.

* * *

Seirin High School as always been considered…normal. From the students, to the faculty, to the outside appearance, even to the romantic relationships. There has never been anything extraordinary.

However, lately there have been times when quite a few people have seen things that are considered as 'unusual'.

For second years, Koganei Shinji, Mitobe Rinnosuke, and Tsuchida Satoshi, these are some of those times.

"Hey, Hyuga-kun, how about the beach?" Riko suggested, a slight skip in her step as she walked alongside the captain, Hyuga.

"Yeah, sounds good." He answered. His response, however, didn't hold as much enthusiasm as the coach had hoped.

"Or perhaps the mountains!" She suggested again, hoping this would peak the glasses man's attention.

"Sounds good too." It unfortunately failed.

"Hey are you even listening to me?" Riko pouted.

"Hm? Of course I am." Hyuga defended himself "Wherever is fine. Main thing is that we get to hold our training camp."

As Riko looked at her captain, understanding what he meant, the three men watching the entire conversation had their mouths open in shock, each one unable to say anything as their bodies trembled in horror.

'DON'T GO PLANNING OUR TRIP TO HELL IN THE ATMOSPHERE OF A COUPLE!'

* * *

The lunch bell rang just as class 1-B's teacher had finished his lecture. Giving his farewells- or at least trying to, in the midst of loud and ignoring students- he left the classroom, leaving the first years to their bentos or store bought bread. Or, in the case of Takagi Mia, her notebook filled with names, data, and percentages.

"Oi, Takagi Mia." Kagami announced, sitting in the seat in front of her that had been quickly emptied by the original owner who had met up with their own friends for lunch. "It's lunch time. Why are you still writing down things for class?"

"Maybe because what I'm writing isn't for class." Mia replied without looking up at the beastly basketball player. "It's for the basketball club. Mainly for Riko-senpai since it's her that I want to convince to let me become the manger."

Unwrapping his several foot long BLT sandwich, Kagami stared blankly at the focused female before taking a bite and looking down at her work. Once his crimson eyes saw the many calculations and percentages written down, covering practically the entire page, his eyes grew wide and he choked.

"W-What the hell is all that?!" He exclaimed, looking back and forth from the notebook to the person writing everything in it.

"These are numbers Mr. Kagami." Mia said in English. After becoming fully aware that Taiga was a returnee from America such as herself, she began using English a lot more around him, something not appreciated by others around them.

"We humans use them to calculate things in our everyday lives."

"I know what you're writing down!" The hothead growled, stabbing a straw into his juice carton before washing down the evidence of his failed first bite of his sandwich. "I want to know why you're writing down percentages and crap!"

"I told you, I'm a computer. I'm able to take one look at someone, or 'scan' them if you will, and determine what their strengths and weaknesses are."

"Okay?" Kagami said, not really seeing the difference between his coach's ability and her own.

"I can also determine what moves they are most likely going to use in a game by turning the information I get into percentages." Mia continued, suddenly pointing her blue mechanical pencil at the redhead. "Take you, for example. Every player has three main options once they manage to get a hold of the ball- passing to a teammate, getting through an opponent's defense, or shooting a basket right then and there. Of course there are even more options if one does choose to break down an opponent's defense, but that option always has the less likelihood of actually being done successfully so I don't have to worry about that too often. You, however, seem to be one of those idiots who love to make my job harder. Out of 100% your mental ability gives you a 6.021% chance of actually shooting right then and there, a 10.389% chance of passing, and an 83.59% chance of breaking down defense and moving on to different options. I could go on to what those options are but it's useless in your case."

Smirking, she looked back down at her work and continued writing down her data on Kagami, circling the rather large number once it was written in clean numbers. "No matter what, whether you come from inside the court or outside, it's always a 99.8756% chance of you dunking."

It seemed like Kagami had forgotten how to swallow as his juice escaped his mouth after hearing Mia's words. His eyes were wide and although the beverage pooled underneath his shoe, he didn't seem to notice. He could have sworn that what the girl had just said was in Japanese. But somewhere along the way, it turned into something similar to gibberish to him.

"Kagami-kun, you're making a mess." Kuroko said, suddenly beside the redhead.

Jumping at the sudden appearance of his friend, Kagami began choking once more, sticking his face into his sleeve so that he wouldn't spew anything out.

When he was finally able to look at the two without the possibility of seeing death, the redhead stared at both with wide eyes. His mouth was open but he wasn't able to find any words to say. Instead he just continuously whipped his head back and forth from Kuroko, to Mia, to her notebook in front of her.

"Mia's calculations are usually never wrong, Kagami-kun." Kuroko finally said, sighing as he took his handkerchief and started mopping Kagami's mess before sitting down in the empty seat next to Mia.

"So when she said that she was a computer, she meant it like this?" Taiga asked, finally able to use words.

"Teehee!" Mia replied all cutesy. To make her performance even more affective, she held up a piece sign and stuck her tongue out as her mouth formed into something that resembled a cat.

Kagami didn't know what it was about the way she said it, but there was something about that cute facade that made him want to throw up. Luckily for him, Kuroko felt the same way.

"That doesn't suit you, Mia." The teal haired teen stated, sipping on his milk.

"Is that so?" Mia said, dismissing the comment and returning to her work.

"I'm still surprised you're even capable of something this complex." Kagami spoke, trying to distract himself from the horror he just saw.

"I was surprised too when I first found out about it." The girl admitted. Turning the page, she began writing in big bold letters the familiar name of the phantom man next to her, getting ready to write down the new updated data she received from her friend since middle school.

"But now that I know what I'm capable of," She continued "I'm ready to use it so that it may help all of you win the Winter Cup."

Listening to her goal, Kuroko and Kagami smiled. They both knew the feeling of wanting to become stronger, not just for themselves, but for their team as well. If anything, both males were very appreciative of having a girl like Mia come their way.

"By the way." Mia piped up, looking at her table mates as they stopped eating their lunch to look back at her "Do any of you know where we're going for the summer training camp?"

* * *

Two weeks passed and several end of the term tests were taken before summer vacation started for the Seirin High School Basketball Team.

Practice started as usual despite everyone slightly hoping they would have a least a day of break before actually doing something. However, unlucky for them, they had Aida Riko as their team's coach.

"This year, we'll hold two training camps, at the beginning and end of summer vacation." Riko announce as everyone gathered around her. "One will take place at the beach and one will take place in the mountains."

'THEY WENT WITH BOTH!' Several second years exclaimed simultaneously in their heads as each one remembered the odd scene they walked in on several weeks before.

'Well I guess that answers my question.' Mia thought on the stage, her legs crossed underneath her.

"The goal this time is to prepare for the qualifications and to overcome our weaknesses, which we've been made aware of in the last game." Their coach continued, not noticing the expressions of sadness and defeat upon most of the team's faces. "Since we're lacking members, stamina is important for us. So, we'll increase the amount of jogging in our normal training."

"Once the vacation is over, the qualifications for the Winter Cup are around the corner." Captain Hyuga took over "We have to make full use of this vacation. Let's get into the mood!"

Mia watched as each individual member looked at both their captain and their coach with determination. She could practically feel the fighting spirit coming from them.

"That's it! Dismissed!"

As each team member scrambled to put away gym equipment, indicating that practice was over, Riko walked up to where Mia was on the stage and placed an arm on the wooden surface as she leaned against it.

"Takagi-san, do you think you could go pass out water bottles to everyone as they clean up?" She asked "They're probably exhausted from their work out."

"Sure! No problem!" Mia responded, closing her notebook fill with each team member's data and hopping off the stage.

So far the trial Mia was given for becoming manager as going by smoothly. She did simple jobs that Riko asked her to do and she even managed to scan almost all the players on the team, filling her book nicely.

Riko, however, still didn't see anything that could be of use to them for the team. Sure she was doing fine in accomplishing her goals she had set out for her to do, but anybody could do simple jobs like those if she asked them to. And that notebook she carried with her every day was another problem.

Mia never explained to her what was inside nor even bothered to do so when Riko asked. Of course the female coach knew that she probably had her statistics drawn up in there and she was fine with that, but what bothered her the most about it was how Mia had rejected her.

 _"I don't think it's necessary to show you."_

What did she mean by necessary? More importantly, how dare she just say something like that to her! She was, after all, the coach! Didn't she want the manager job?!

"Coach." Izuki called, grabbing the girl's attention "Sensei called for you. He said he wanted to talk about the funding for the school trip."

"Yeah? Excuse me then. I'm going ahead."

With that, the coach left the gym at a run, wanting to get the funding work over with quickly so that she may get everything ready at home.

From the other side of the gym, Hyuga watched as his coach and classmate exited the gym, his dark eyes staying on her moving form until he made sure she was completely out of site.

"Ouch!" Mia heard from behind her as she picked up the tray holding everyone's water bottle. Looking behind her, she saw Kuroko with the school's scoreboard and Kagami who was holding a basketball in each hand. From the looks of it, it seemed like Kuroko accidentally rammed the scoreboard into Kagami's anckle, causing him to stumble forwards slightly.

"Ah, sorry." Kuroko apologized.

"Don't give me that!" Kagami snarled, glaring down at the shorter of the two. "Look forward properly!

"Now now, Tiger." Mia piped up, walking over to the duo. "No one likes children who blame others."

"Who says I'm a child?!"

"I am. That's why I'm _telling_ you."

The sudden bark of a dog grabbed the manager-in-training's attention. Looking down, Mia caught site of a small husky with black and white fur and a mini Seirin basketball uniform. She didn't know what it was about its eyes, but she felt like they resembled someone she knew closely.

"Nigou?!" Kagami jumped back several inches from the small dog sitting next to Mia. Looking up at the redhead in confusion, she wondered what his problem was before going to Tetsuya for answers.

"'Nigou'?"

"Tetsuya Nigou." Kuroko explained "He's our team's mascot."

"Awww! How adorable!" Mia gushed, setting down the tray of water bottles so that she may pick up the tiny puppy. "Oh I see! It's because he has the same eyes as Tetsuya! That's why they seemed so familiar!"

Giggling as the happy dog licked her face, Mia looked back over at Kagami who continued to stare as the dog, terrified.

"It seems like we may be able to bring him with us to camp." Tetsuya number one commented.

"What?! No way!" Taiga yelled in anguish.

It was just a small sliver of an idea, but the thought of it made a spine tingling smile creep up on Mia's face.

"Tiger~" She called, halting any argument between the shadow and the light. "I think he wants to say hello."

Obviously referring to Nigou, Mia held him out at arm's length towards the beast, causing him to yelp in surprise and drop the basketballs he was holding.

"Oi, stop it!" He ordered, although his command sounded more like a plea when his voice cracked.

"Why~? He's so cute~"

"Stop talking like that!"

"Tiger~"

Every time the raven haired girl took a step forward with the dog, Kagami always took a step back, obviously scared out of his mind. But this simply fueled Mia's cruelty instead of diminishing it.

"Get him away from me!" Kagami yelled, running around the gym.

"Oh come one, Tiger!" Mia laughed. She chased him holding Nigou in her hands. The dog seemed to be having just as much fun as she was since he kept barking after Mia called after Kagami.

"TAKAGI, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"You can't kill me if you're scared of dogs!"

"Hasn't something similar to this happened before?" Izuki asked as he watched with the rest of the basketball team from the sidelines.

"Definitely." They all answered in unison. It was clear the scene before them resembled how Kuroko chased Kagami with Nigou the first time they adopted him.

"EVERYONE! ASSEMBLE AGAIN!" Hyuga yelled, echoing throughout the gym.

All eyes turned on him in confusion. Even Kagami and Mia who were busy playing a game of cat and mouse (Or a game of dog and cat as Mia thought later on) halted and looked at their captain. Deciding it was best if Kagami grouped up with everyone, Mia set down Nigou and walked back over to pass out drinks to everyone.

"Listen, you all heard about the training camp just now." Hyuga began, silencing everyone's questions about whether or not practice was really over. "Right now, we're facing a crisis."

Mia looked at her captain with slightly widened eyes as she passed a water bottle to yet another team member who gratefully accepted. It seemed like everyone else had the same reaction as well.

"Since we're holding two camps this year, we reserved cheap inns. This means we'll have to cook for ourselves. That's where the problem starts.

Looking around, Takagi Mia was surprised to find all of the second year senpais trembling in fear. Each one of them knew where Hyuga was going with this.

"Our coach will be doing the cooking!" The captain finally spilled, trying his best not to puke at the thought of Aida Riko's cooking.

"Eh? She shouldn't?" One of the naïve first years asked.

"Of course not! You saw her sweet lemons before, right?"

Everyone thought back to the one game Riko thought it was a good idea to bring everyone lemons and honey. Unfortunately for them, all they received were whole lemons bathing in honey.

The only person who still didn't quite understand the meaning behind the problem was the one person who wasn't there for the game. Because of that, a certain girl with ebony hair tied up in a high ponytail arched her eyebrow at her team.

"WE'RE DOOMED!"

"Her cooking skills already pass the boundary of inedible." Kiyoshi pondered. It was obvious he wasn't helping any of the first years' who had already begun to imagine the most horrible situation.

"Then how about we cook it ourselves?" Furihata asked nervously.

"I wish we could." Izuki answered "But the schedule is so hellish that no one is able to move afterwards. Don't underestimate it."

'WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!'

Mia watched in disbelief as the senpais transferred their fear to the first years, making everyone tremble and gulp down their vomit in an attempt to not throw up at the idea of their coach's cooking.

'Although,' She pondered 'if the training schedule is just as strict as they say it is, then everyone on the team may upgrade their ability strengths and performance technique by at least 7%. At most they could probably reach 10%! Hmmm...maybe...'

"Oi. Don't tell me your starting to think that it's alright for us to die as long as we build our stamina or some shit." Kagami said beside Mia. She looked at the giant next to her for a second, opening her mouth to say something in defense. But when she realized that he was right, she quickly whipped her head the other way, a weak whistle coming out of her mouth.

"You were?!"

"Mia, that's a little harsh." Kuroko commented sadly.

"Eh?! But it's for the sake of the team, right?"

"There's a limit to what is for the sake of the team and what is just plain cruelty."

" _Eh?!_ "

And with that...the Seirin High School Basketball Team prepared to face one of the most difficult obstacles they would ever have to face...

* * *

 **Phew! I. Am. Done!**

 **No more all nighters just to write fan fiction! (Although I did have fun while doing so!)**

 **Sorry for another slow chapter but it was still fun writing this. Next chapter will have more "Seirin Team Bonding with Mia" as I like to call it. ;)**

 **Hope you all enjoyed!**


	9. Curry

**A little Seirin Team Bonding Fluff chapter for you all. This one is short but it was so fun to write!**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"Okay Coach, are you ready?"

Every member of the basketball team lined themselves up on the counter across from Riko, their forks and knives held up as they anxiously awaited their coach's death cooking.

"Leave it to me!" He words were meant to be reassuring. But to the Seirin boys, they only sounded threatening.

Mia sat on top of the large counter with her legs crossed beneath her. Staring at the female coach as she produced chopping sounds behind the piles of food in front of her, the first year continued to wonder why everyone was so nervous.

'She's cooking normally isn't she?'

"What's up with this 'Taste Testing'?" Furihata whispered to the seniors next to him. Mia's blue eyes wondered from Riko to the board behind her as she read, in big white letters, ' _Training Camp Taste Testing_ '. It was truly something to ponder about once everyone started filing into the Home Economics room.

"It's just a cover up." Hyuga answered "We can't just tell her up front that she sucks. We'll taste it and then give her some advice so that she can improve."

The sight of Riko dumping in whole vegetables into the large pot in front of her made Mia wonder if anybody will be capable of speaking after eating.

'Maybe I should tell her.' The ebony haired girl thought 'Or at least warn everyone.'

"By the way, can you cook?" Furihata continued to ask, trying to avoid having to watch Riko cook.

"A bit."

"Not really."

"NOPE!"

"I think the best one is probably Mitobe." Izuki said "What about you, Kuroko?"

"No one can make a meaner boiled egg than me." The phantom man answered confidently.

"It's true. I've tried them before." Mia joined in. She couldn't resist.

"Oh yeah! What about you Mia-san?" Teppei-nii questioned from her left "You're a female too. Do you have any experience with cooking?"

Hearing that they may have a ray of hope for them after all, ever member immediately whipped their heads in Mia's direction, making the girl laugh nervously at their piercing gazes.

"I'm not bad at cooking as long as I have a recipe." She admitted, rubbing the back of her head "But it's not like I can cook anything from leftovers or something."

"Ha! Amateur." Kagami laughed behind her, crossing his arms in front of him as he looked ahead in triumph.

"What are you all talking about?" Riko's voice suddenly called, making everyone freeze in fear "The first dish is already done! It's curry!"

Plates of food were distributed out to all team members, including Mia. Although their coach looked at them expectantly, they all kept their heads up, refusing to look down at what was going to kill them.

Eventually though, they knew that they had to face the obstacle before them. Slowly, each male looked down at their own plate, hoping, for even a little bit, that Aida Riko's cooking actually look _edible_.

Whole vegetables. Meat that did not look cooked. _Whole vegetables_. Yellow rice. WHOLE VEGETABLES!

'THIS IS CURRY?!'

"Why are all of these uncut?!"

"What was all those chopping sounds before?"

"Are we sure this is _curry_?!"

"Just ignore the presentation. It tastes fine!" Riko said "It's just curry."

"I don't even think it's curry anymore." Mia mumbled, continuously twisting her spoon in the dish. She received a few nods of agreement from Kagami and Kuroko who were the only people to hear her.

"Well, then thank you for the meal." Everyone said. Picking up their spoons, they all lifted food into their mouths.

'THIS TASTES SO GROSS!'

"Teppei-nii!" Mia cried when Kiyoshi fell off the seat next to her, obviously dead. Ignoring her own dish (which she was glad not to have taken a bite out of yet), she rushed over to the fallen warrior and grabbed his shoulders.

"Hang in there, Teppei-nii!" The girl shouted as she shook Kiyoshi back and forth, trying to get a response out of him "You can't die yet! Not when you still owe me money from when you made me buy you candy after practice that one time!"

"I'm sorry, Mia." Kuroko moaned behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the teal haired teen bend over with his knees on the ground. Leaning on the stool for support, he covered his mouth in an attempt to not hurl out the mouthful of food he was still chewing.

"I can't continue like this."

"Tetsuya!"

"I can't believe it was _this_ bad!" Kagami spoke, setting his plate of food back on the counter as he tried to swallow "The rice is like porridge. The vegetables are crisp like a salad. The meat is fucking _raw!_ And somehow she managed to make the sauce all sour and bitter!"

Listening to the redhead's critique, Mia stood up and patted his back as he was the only one willing enough to say what was wrong out loud. She then looked back at her own plate of food which seemed to have transformed into the face of a demon, laughing at her maniacally as it waited to slowly kill her as well.

"This is genocide to our gustative nerves!" Mia concluded. She didn't need to make any calculations for that.

"Just say if you want any seconds!" Riko said cheerfully, stirring the left overs in the large pot.

'She made _more_?!' Mia screeched in her head. Just to be sure that she was safe from any harm, the raven head moved away several steps from the counter of doom.

'Not only that, but did she just completely _ignore_ the fact that she may have killed Teppei-nii?!'

Looking around hoping that somebody would tell Riko to change the way she made food, Mia noticed that all the second years were continuing to slowly chew their meal. Thinking that all of them were afraid that they would hurt her (and how most of the first years had already passed out), the manager-to-be stood up a little straighter and marched over to the coach.

"Uh…Riko-senpai?" Mia began, getting the coach's attention. It seemed like she managed to grab the attention of everyone else at the counter as they all whipped their heads in her direction with wide eyes. It was even harder for them to swallow as they realized what she was going to do.

"Yes, Takagi-san?" Riko answered, wiping her hands on her apron. Takagi saw how the coach's fingers were scattered with bandages, each digit holding at least two. Seeing that made it even harder for the girl as she cursed her observation skills.

As the two females stood in front of one another, the younger one rubbing the back of her head as she tried to piece together what she wanted to say, Hyuga glanced over at Riko's hands and noticed the small bandages as well. Realization hitting him, his narrowed his eyes at his dish.

"Umm…" Deep blue eyes avoided light brown ones as Mia felt even more afraid and guilty about what she was going to say.

"…I guess the food…wasn't that good, huh?" Riko said before the taller female could finish her sentence. Immediately, Mia waved her hands in front of her as she tried to find words to make it sound more like a 'Let's try again!' instead of a 'Please stop cooking!'

"Uh no! I mean….ummm…so I guess you could…umm…."

"EH?!" Several masculine voices said in unison, catching Riko and Mia off guard as they turned to see what the ruckus was about.

The female coach's eyes widened in surprise as she watched her captain, Hyuga rapidly eat her horribly version of curry. Her cheeks were dusted pink as he paused in the middle of his consumption to look up at her face in determination before continuing his self-forced torture.

Meanwhile, behind Riko, Mia's eyes widened and her hands were placed on her cheeks in horror, the girl mentally screaming bloody murder as she watched her senpai eat.

'HYUGA-CAPTAIN!'

"Thanks for the food." Hyuga said calmly, standing up from his seat and walking towards the door of the Home Economics room "It was good, but a bit too spicy. I'm going to get something to drink."

Closing the door behind him, everyone (including the still petrified Mia) looked on in shock. No one really knew what to say after what just happened.

"It had a special taste, but that's okay." Kiyoshi piped up suddenly, taking seconds from the large pot "All that matters is that you put in the most important thing in cooking. And that's love."

'Teppei-nii, you're alive!' Mia mentally cheered, ignoring the weird stares from Kagami and Kuroko as they watched her fawn over her senpai. However, all three first years looked at each other as they came up with the same thought simultaneously.

'But that was so cheesy.'

"You may have prepared it wrong at some point." Kiyoshi continued "How about you try again?"

"…okay!" Riko said sheepishly, but happy that she had boys who cared about her.

"I'm going to go check on Hyuga." Izuki announced as everyone cleaned up their plates. Sliding open the door, the Eagle Eye holder was only gone for ten seconds before everyone heard the horror that came after it.

"HYUGA!"

'Rest in peace, Hyuga-Captain.' Mia thought, putting her hands together in a pose similar to praying.

Taking away the last of the plates, Riko and Kiyoshi smiled at one another before the giant slammed his hand down on the counter in front of the other men after the coach turned her back.

"Does anyone know how to teach her how to cook?" He asked, large beads of sweat dripping off his face like mini waterfalls.

"Hey, Kiyoshi! You're producing some kind of weird sweat!" Koga exclaimed, worried for everyone's safety.

"Teppei-nii, you just died. I don't think helping yourself to a second serving was a good idea." Mia stated, patted the giant's back gently as he groaned.

"What about Mito-!"

"MITOBE!"

Looking over at the silent man everyone called 'Mitobe' Mia's face grimaced. Not only Hyuga, but it seemed like they had lost Mitobe as well.

"Mia, what are you doing?" Kuroko asked beside her, startling the female as she just realized his presence.

"Eh? I'm praying for our teammate's safety up in heaven." She replied, her hands together once more.

Everyone began to freak out as the decision of who would be forced to teach Riko in the art of cooking drew near. From the second years stating none of them can cook to the first years who have to little experience to teach, teaching the coach seemed like an impossible task to accomplish.

That is until…

"Hey can I use the leftovers here?"

Eh?

Looking back at one of the many stoves in the Home Ec room, the Seirin basketball team watched in astonishment as their redheaded ace, Kagami Taiga began frying up some vegetables as well has quickly cooking up some meat. Watching as the food was repeatedly flipped in the large pan, everyone's mouths began to drool.

"Here." Kagami said, placing a finished portion of food on the counter as well as some rice from Riko's left over meal.

"Woah! That looks so good!" Koganei cried out in joy "I'm gonna try some."

"It's so good!"

"Really?!"

"Kagami you cook?!"

"Yeah, well I do live alone after all."

"WHAT!? You live alone?!" Mia shouted in surprised, startling the tall player beside her.

"…yeah?"

"And you actually cook _every single night_?!"

"Well I try to make enough portions to last me several nights. But other than that, yeah." Noticing her overly exaggerated expression, Kagami looked down at the girl in slight astonishment. "Why? Don't you?"

It was a simple question with a simple answer. Unfortunately for her, Mia didn't like either one.

"O-Of course I do!" She lied placing her hands on her hips.

"Cup noodles don't count."

"God damn it!"

It seemed like the atmosphere in the classroom had lightened up after the initial shock that Kagami Taiga can actually cook. In fact, it seemed like the horrible nightmare of having to eat Aida Riko's cooking never even happened.

Watching the group of happy males before her, Riko took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Looking ahead, she walked over to the table and over to the tiger himself who was happily chowing down on a large portion of rice.

"Kagami-kun." She said "I never thought I would ask this of you…but, please teach me how to make curry!"

"I don't mind." Kagami answered as he wiped off excess rice from his face "But, I'm a strict teacher."

For the first time in their lives, the basketball team saw a ray of hope for their coach's cooking.

* * *

It was a miracle.

Chopped vegetables. Cooked meat. _Chopped vegetables._ White rice. CHOPPED VEGETABLES!

The plates before them actually held curry that, for once, looked like real _curry!_

"Wow! This looks awesome!"

"This is perfect curry!"

"This time it's good!" Riko said confidently "Try it!"

"Thanks for the food!" Everyone cheered happily, lifting their spoons to their mouths as they took their first bite.

If only it was that easy.

'WHAT THE HELL?!' They all thought, pained expressions of disgust on their faces.

"No way! WHY?!" Riko cried

"That's what we would like to know." Mia said, slowly chewing her food. It was the first time she has ever tried her coach's cooking and she had to say, it was pretty damn horrible.

'At least it's edible this time.' She thought, chewing on the cooked meat. 'But how it tastes so damn bad is beyond me.'

"Kagami, didn't you make this together?!" Koga asked the teen next sitting next to Mia.

"Yeah! I even tasted it too!" He defended, just as puzzled as everyone else.

"Then why?!" Mia questioned as well.

"I have no clue."

Everyone looked at their coach with pity in their eyes.

"She sucks so bad at cooking that it crosses the boundary of human logic."

"If you think about it that's pretty amazing!"

"This is delicious!"

The sudden praise for Riko's food caught everyone's attention. Look all the way at the end of the counter, everyone saw as Kuroko ate the curry with a look of bliss on his face. Well, they at least _hoped_ it was a look of bliss on his face.

"You don't have to force yourself, Kuroko!" Koga said.

"No, it really does taste good."

Realizing what may have happened, Kiyoshi walked over to the invisible man, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Kuroko, could it be that you served yourself?"

"Yes, since I was forgotten."

'Tetsuya!' Mia thought sadly as she looked at her friend with tears in her eyes.

"Mia, why are you crying?"

"I honestly don't know." She answered, really confused as to why she was suddenly getting moisture in her eyes.

"It may be the food." Kagami suggested.

"That wouldn't surprise me."

Before the female coach could yell at the trio for being so damn rude, she was stopped by the center of the team.

"Riko, could you serve it again?" Kiyoshi asked, holding her shoulders.

"Huh? Yeah, I guess." The coach mumbled, still upset "First I put down some rice. And then, before I put the sauce on…"

Everyone watched as she began sprinkling a mysterious powder on top of the rice to add more flavor.

"Woah! So she's been adding cheese?" Koga said out loud "That's some serious cookin-!"

"Wait! What is that!?"

Startled by the basketball player's shouting, Riko stopped adding in the curry sauce and looked at her team in confusion.

"What you ask? It's just some proteins and vitamin powder."

Looking down at the plate of rice, everyone saw how the powder had turned the plate of food into a yellow color instead of the normal white.

"SO THAT'S WHY!"

"Just curry has no balance." Riko tried to explain, waving her hands to try and calm everyone down.

"Then just add a salad!" Mia exclaimed "Don't just add that stuff in! You'll kill everyone!"

"Eh?!"

It took another several minutes to convince Riko of her mistakes and to not add in her protein goods on top of the white rice. After a third serving to everyone, the basketball team quickly stuffed their faces with their third first bite.

"It's normal!" Everyone sighed in relief, finally able to enjoy their plate of curry.

"Then say it's delicious!"

And with that, the coach's cooking leveled up.

Just a little…

"Okay it's done! Next dish is a hotpot!"

Opening up the lid of the pot, everyone saw the disastrous yet familiar scene of _whole_ vegetables along with an entire fish and large chunks of tofu.

"Why are they all uncut?!"

"Eh?"

It was a small level up.

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed! Next chapter will be more about the training camp.**

 **All I can say is that Mia may end up meeting a member of the GoM a lot sooner than she thought.**


	10. The Beginnings of a New Sunrise I

**IT'S BEEN SOOOOOOOOO LOOOOONNNGG OHMAHGAWD! Thank you so much for all the follow and favorites and reviews since my leave of absence! You have no idea how much that warms my heart knowing that no matter how long I'm gone, people are still reading my stories! Anyway, I'm still a bit rusty on KnB and I need to refresh my memory on how I wanted this story to go down, but I hope you all still enjoy either way!**

* * *

Takagi Mia has always been passive about the things that have happened around her. Midorima even once told her in middle school that according to her star sign, Aquarius, she always has a high focus on intellectual exploration instead of reality.

Sixteen years old, high school first year, Teiko Basketball Team's Ex-Strategist and Seirin Basketball team's manager-to-be, Mia thought that she had finally seen it all when it came to the world of sports.

Seeing her coach's black Sedan parked in front of her apartment was most definitely not what she expected to see when she woke up that morning.

"How come you're not ready yet?!" Riko shouted in the ear piece of Mia's white flip phone.

"I didn't know you were coming!" She defended, standing on her balcony as she saw the female coach angrily stomp her foot on the street below her.

"I ASKED YOU WHERE YOU LIVED YESTERDAY!"

"I DIDN'T KNOW THAT MEANT YOU WOULD KIDNAP ME!"

"WELL IT DIDN'T MEAN I WOULD PICK YOU UP FOR A TEA PARTY!"

"YOU STILL COULD HAVE WARNED ME BEFORE HAND THAT YOU WERE COMING! I ALREADY BOUGHT TRAIN TICKETS!"

"WELL CANCEL THEM!"

Normally, the first year would have let this slide, gotten ready quietly and accepted the fact that her coach was abducting her in peace. However, considering the fact that it was five in the morning and it wasn't even light out yet, the ebony haired girl glared at her coach's tiny figure with as much intensity as she believed the second year girl was giving her. There was so many things she wanted to say over the phone that moment, but with the little sanity she had left, she held them all in.

That and the loud banging of her door told Mia that she had already disturbed her neighbors and that she was this close to having them call the police on her.

"There's stuff we need to set up at the beach before the boys get there." Riko explained, her voice a lot more calm than what it was a minute ago "It takes about an hour to get to the beach and probably another hour or two to set everything up. If we don't leave soon, then our training camp of hell won't be there before the boys are."

Eyes half lidded and still glazed over with sleep, Mia looked at the scenery ahead of her instead of at Riko, something that pissed off the brown haired girl slightly. Finally, Mia sighed. Leaning against the door frame she ran her hands through her messy black hair before responding through her phone.

"Give me five minutes." She said before she pressed the end call button and snapped her phone closed.

The sudden sound of the line being disconnected startled Riko. Looking back up at the now empty balcony, the coach smiled and turned back to her father who was sitting in the driver's seat.

"Is she coming?" Aida Tora asked with a yawn, his black sunglasses not hiding the fact that he was tired.

"In a bit." Riko answered with a slight nod. Opening the door, she hopped into the seat next to her dad and leaned her chin on her hand as she looked out the window.

"My baby girl is finally hanging out with females!" Tora gushed, his overly-loving-father side being activated before his daughter slapped him across the face.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" She screamed "I've hung out with girls before!"

"But you are always thinking about and hanging out with those basketball boys a lot more! Papa just doesn't want them taking away your purity, Riko-tan!"

"Wha?! Purity?!" At this point Riko's face had turned so red that most people would have mistaken her for a tomato if they didn't know any better. "AND STOP CALLING ME THAT, OLD MAN!"

"Riko-tan~!" Said Tora as he launched himself at his baby girl, receiving a loud scream of horror from his target.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She shouted, punching him. Instead of falling down properly, the ex basketball player shot back up and tried again, creating a rhythmic pattern of him attempting to pounce and Riko successfully hitting.

"Oh my god, can you be quiet?" Another voice spoke, surprising the two members of the Aida family as they paused mid-scuffle to look out the window.

Donning a pair of black, thick rimmed sunglasses on the bridge of her nose, Mia wore a white shirt with a black jersey jacket and black yoga pants that fell to her knees. Her foot tapped impatiently as she silently glared at the coach and her father, contemplating whether or not it was alright to cuss at her senior for being so damn noisy first thing in the morning. She prayed to whatever God created this world that the boys would at least try to be quiet in the morning.

Keyword: _try_

"Hey!" Riko cried out, making Mia place her hands over her ears "Why aren't you in your school uniform?! We need to let the people at the lodge know what school we come from!"

Too lazy and tired to use words, Mia lifted her jersey aside to show the Seirin High logo on her white shirt.

"This should be fine, right?" She asked, opening the car door and tossing her large duffle bag inside "If it gets to the point where I have to wear my uniform, I always have it in my bag."

As Tora turned the key in the ignition, starting up the car once more, Mia jumped into the backseat of the car and closed the door behind her, not even caring about a seatbelt as she fell on top of her bag.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna take a nap." She yawned "Wake me up when I'm needed."

Before Riko could get one word of complaint out to the girl, a small snot bubble began to form out of her nostril. She was already out like a light.

"Man!" Riko sighed using her normal tone of voice. She didn't care about disrupting her underclassman "I can't keep up with this girl's attitude at all!"

First she barges into practice and slaps one of their most important players, then she comes back and begs on her knees for the manager position, then she starts snapping at her upperclassman with no manners whatsoever! Although Riko admits that the last one was mainly her own fault, she still made a point.

"I don't know." Tora said "I think she is pretty interesting."

"What?" The coach glared, getting her fist ready for whatever weird comment her father had to say next.

"Well I can only make assumptions with the small description you gave me, but even with that she seems impressive." He explained. Out of the corner of her eye, Riko could see small rays of light as the sun slowly came up, lighting the sky with brilliant blues, reds, and pinks.

"You said that she is able to make strategies based on the other team's abilities, right?" Her father continued "I haven't seen it myself but that is one hell of an ability."

'Even though she won't even show me any of it.' Riko thought grumpily as she remembered how Mia refused to show the coach her notebook.

"But don't worry! Riko-tan is the only cute one to me!" Tora gushed once more, whipping his head to face his daughter with hearts on his eyes.

"NO ONE CARES ABOUT THAT! AND KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD OLD MAN!"

* * *

 _"Takagi."_

 _Midorima's deep voice filled Mia's ears as she sat in one of the many seats in the classroom, making her stop her scribbling and turn her head slightly to see the green haired male enter. His agitated expression kept the girl on high alert._

 _"Yes, Midorima-kun?" She asked, setting down her pencil on top of her notebook to fully face her companion._

 _Practice had already ended about thirty minutes ago and the ebony haired girl had escaped from the loud commotion of the basketball team for the day so that she may finally enter her data that she had received. Needless to say she was very surprised that someone actually knew where she was and had chosen to see her instead of the rest of the team._

 _"...Are you writing down everyone's performance for the past several days?" Midorima asked, a little hesitant with his question._

 _"Yes." Mia answered immediately._

 _Knowing the basketball player in front of her was starting to get impatient, she watched him take a deep breath and push his glasses up the bridge of his nose before looking back at her once more._

 _"So?"_

 _"...'so' what?"_

 _"How did I do?!"_

 _She had to admit, she was expecting some kind of outburst from the man since he was rigid and tense from the first moment he came into the classroom, but this was certainly beyond Mia's expectations. Arching a dark eyebrow at Midorima she began to wonder if his luck was in the bottom five._

 _...Actually, maybe it was in the bottom ten. Either way, she knew he never worried about how he played unless it had to do with Oha Asa._

 _"Well for the first few days of the week you have shown slight signs of changing, each day having a .68% increase of ability and making your shots almost at a 124% chance of scoring perfectly out of 125%. However, your performance level today did suffer a .590% decrease. Luckily, it has not affected any of your total percentages."_

 _As she finished with her calculations, Mia slowly looked back up at Midorima. Immediately the girl blanched at the sight of Midorima's defeated figure, his shoulders and head slumped forward as he sighed._

 _Not knowing what exactly she was supposed to do now, Mia looked back and forth from the green haired teen to the classroom door which was left ajar. If she timed it perfectly, she would be able to escape this situation which had turned sour rather quickly. Taking in the pitiful sight of Midorima Shintarou actually sulking, the young assistant manager's right eye twitched before she let out an exasperated sigh and began to rapidly flip through the pages of her notebook._

 _Once she had finally found the correct notebook page she had been looking for, Mia lightly cleared her throat and spoke._

 _"Sunday: tambourine, Monday: maracas, Tuesday: bongo drums, Thursday: a recorder..."_

 _Recognizing the list which she was reading off of, Midorima's head whipped up to watch Mia with wide eyes as she continued her list with her chin in her palm._

 _"What!? Why are you reading off my lucky items I had for this week?!" He shouted, making Mia's eyebrows furrow slightly at the interruption despite her attempt at trying to help him._

 _"I always have a list of lucky items you're supposed to have for the month." She answered, brushing a strand of black hair behind her ear as she spoke. She was contemplating on whether or not to get a haircut after Satsuki's comment on how it was getting longer. "It was made as a precaution just in case you had an outrageous lucky item and you needed some assistance in retrieving it. However, you always seemed to manage on your own somehow so I haven't checked it in weeks."_

 _Once her eyes landed on today's date, however, Mia sucked in her lower lip, biting on it hard to keep herself from laughing loudly at Midorima's misfortune._

 _"It seems like I have made an honest mistake in not checking." Mia stated calmly. She covered her head in the nook of her elbow to hide the smile that was about to burst on her face from Midorima._

 _Friday: a four leaf clover_

 _A tick mark appeared on Midorima's forehead as he saw Mia's shoulders shake slightly from her failed attempts of hiding her laughter. Putting one hand into his pants pocket, he stomped over to Mia's desk and slammed his hand on the surface, startling the girl. When the tall man's hand lifted away, a small, shiny four leaf clover keychain laid in its place._

 _"Ah, so you did have it after all." Mia said, returning to her stoic form once again. Lifting the keychain with her thumb and fore finger, the girl watched as it twisted and turned at the sudden loss of gravity, the light from the sunset outside reflecting off the little trinket beautifully. "So what's the problem?"_

 _"I wish I knew!" Midorima growled, crossing his arms across his chest "It just doesn't make any sense!"_

 _"You're right." Mia agreed. Setting down the keychain, she looked back down at her monthly list of Midorima items and began to scratch her head in confusion "Why would Oha Asa want you to become a one man band for the beginning of the week?"_

 _"Not that, Takagi!"_

 _"Ah, sorry."_

 _Slamming her notebook shut and placing her hands in her lap, Mia faced Shintarou and watched as he glared at the wall behind her._

 _"I had an inkling feeling that Oha Asa was referring to a living four leaf clover as my lucky item for today, but since this small keychain seemed to have done the trick, I ignored it. However, if it has affected my practice level this much, then a real four leaf clover must have been the correct lucky item!"_

 _"I still do not see the problem, Midorima-kun." Mia spoke up "If the keychain kept you lucky for most of the day then it shouldn't matter what you're performance level was. Besides the day is almost over, so it doesn't really make a difference."_

 _The green haired shooter stared at Mia with his mouth slightly open. The gaping expression he held confused the female and slowly, she felt her face heating up at the possibility that she may have said something not worth saying. Turning her head so that she once again faced her data notebook, Mia hid her face from Midorima. Now she really wanted him to leave._

 _"Tch. I should have known you wouldn't understand, Takagi." Shintarou said in a low voice. Fixing his glasses on the bridge of his nose, he snatched the keychain roughly from Mia's desk, surprising her._

 _"Thank you for the information, but I would prefer it if you wouldn't spout out your opinions about such a thing." The way he leaned forward until their faces were inches apart froze Mia in place; the deep tone that came out of his mouth with each word he said made the hairs on the back of her neck stand. However, before the girl could retaliate about how rudeness wouldn't get the teenager anywhere in life, he quickly turned on his foot and left the room._

 _Although the room was once again quiet, the feeling of emptiness that filled every corner disrupted the strategist more than ever before._

* * *

"TA-KA-GI-SAN!"

The high shrill of a person screaming startled Mia out of her slumber. Attempting to sit up quickly and identify the source of the voice, the ebony haired girl knocked her forehead against the roof of the car, knocking her back down and bringing her foot up to meet with Riko's chin.

"OW!" Both cried out in pain as they held their respective sore spots.

"What the hell?!" Riko continued while Mia just curled herself into a ball and counted the seconds until the migraine went away.

"I'm sorry." She said "I wasn't quite prepared for that."

"Yeah, I noticed." answered the coach as she stood up from the spot on the hard ground. "But that doesn't matter right now. We're here."

Making sure that she wasn't about to hit anything else, Mia slowly climbed out of the black car and witnessed what was going to be the destination of their first training camp.

From left to right, and probably several miles past that, all the newbie could see was ocean. It was as dark as the night sky itself and yet already reflecting the beginnings of a wonderful sunrise. No one else was at the beach this early in the morning, so all you could hear was the splashing of the waves in front of them.

It was peaceful.

"Alright!" Riko yelled, ruining Mia's "peace", "The boys will be here in a couple of hours so let's get this training camp from hell started!"

"Yeah!" Both Tora and Mia yelled back, their arms in the air. Of course Mia was a lot less enthusiastic as the other two family members.

"Takagi-san, you get the luggage." The small coach ordered, pointing at the manager in training, "Papa, will guide you to the hotel we will be staying at."

"Aye aye, Captain." Said Mia, saluting for emphasis. She actually didn't mind having to take the luggage to the hotel. It beat setting up any basketball equipment by a long shot.

The walk back to the black Sudan, although a very short one, felt like an eternity with the amount of silence between the two of them. It was as if none of them knew what to say.

"So…" Started Tora, believing that it was his duty as a father to talk with those who hang around with his Riko, "Are you one of Riko-tan's friends?"

Mia automatically chuckled at the thought of calling someone who slaps one of their players, demands the manager position, and yells at them at five in the morning a "friend".

"Something like that." Was all she was capable of saying. There was no need to go into detail.

"It's so nice to see Riko-tan making more female friends!" He continued, filling his hands with plenty of Riko's luggage. Just how much stuff did she need for this hell camp?! "She's always focused on helping out the basketball team that she refuses to go out and hang out with all of her other classmates."

"Well then, she probably gets that from you, Aida Tora." Mia simply stated, grabbing her own luggage which consisted of just one bag. "Basketball runs in her blood now."

She wasn't trying to impress anyone or scare anybody with her knowledge, but when Mia looked up to smile at Aida Tora, she jumped at the sight of all of Riko's bags scattered on the ground while he stared at her with wide eyes.

"Y-you know who I am?" He stuttered, "An old guy like me?"

"Y-yes. Who wouldn't? You did have an overall performance level of 99.980% out of 100. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. If you were to be measured out on a scale of 150, you would've reached 138.25%. Your lack of intelligence led you to use more reckless moves, but most of the time those same reckless skills helped your team win tournaments and championships."

"Incredible!" Hollered Tora, his arms moving so quickly to pick up the bags on the ground that Mia thought for a second they vanished completely. Before she knew it, an arm wrapped around her shoulders. "You're going to be the best choice as my daughter's best friend! I can just see it n-!"

A flash of light zoomed past Mia's face and planted itself into Tora's cheek, surprisingly knocking him down and scattering all of the bags once more.

"Don't go doing perverted things to other people, weirdo!" Riko yelled accusingly behind the ebony haired female. Her thoughts were still circulating around what just happened. And since she looked down and saw that the weapon used was a pink whistle, Mia began thinking that pissing off the coach from now on wouldn't be a good idea.

Relieved that the victim wasn't herself, she bent down to pick up the whistle and hand it back over to Riko. What stopped her, however, was the brush of her arm over her bag. Her blue eyes widened and slowly her breathing began to grow harsher and harsher as she sent her hands searching for something of the darkened road.

"What's the matter?" Riko asked, obviously coming over to grab her pink weapon which was now abandoned in the ground.

"It's gone." Answered Mia, "It was on my bag when we left I know it was! Now it's gone!"

A little startled by the girl's sudden change in demeanor, Riko looked down to where she was searching frantically and noticed a shiny object reflecting the continuously rising sun and picked it up.

"Is this what you're looking for?" Asked the upperclassman as she held up a small four leaf clover keychain, the trinket dancing in midair as she held it with her index finger and thumb. "It may have gotten whisked away when my dad went down."

"Sorry about that, Mia-tan." Tora apologized as he stood.

"Don't call her that too!" And down he went again "That's disgusting!"

"Thank you." Mia said, showing her gratitude after snatching the keychain out of Riko's hand. "Thanks."

"What's so important about that anyway?" Riko asked while keeping her foot on Tora's back, grinding it in. "Is it a family heirloom?"

"No." The underclassman said. Doing so as she did in the past, Mia held up the clover in her fingers, allowing the sun's rays to bounce off every curve, every scratch, every memory…

"It's nothing."

It wasn't broken. She could've easily place it back on her bag where it was before.

But instead she just stuffed it into her pocket.

"Well then." Said Mia as she faced the two still bickering Aidas. "Let's get started."

* * *

The very first train of the day slowed to a stop in the station, its wheels created the loud and yet familiar squeaks of yielding. Once the doors slid open, several high school boys scrambled out, all of them excited and still very scared to be getting their training camp started. Knowing their coach, she will be able to provide them with a good amount of space to grow in both mental and physical performance. But that also means that they may die in the process...

"We're here!"

"Is this real life?" Izumi asked, confusing everyone who was still willing to listen to the pun master "Or is it just a Fanta sea?"

"Where's the coach?"

"There were a lot of things to carry so she took the car." Answered Hyuuga "Also, shut up, Izuki."

Kuroko and Kagami walked beside each other as the group of Seirin boys marched out of the station and into fresh air, the smell of the sea hitting their noses. The blue haired teen, however, looked around the bustling groups of people around him for signs of his middle school friend. She did say that she would be riding the train with them, but when she never made it on time, Kuroko couldn't help but worry.

"What's up, Kuroko?" Kagami asked once he realized that his teammate was falling behind from the rest of them.

"Nothing." He said "Mia just wasn't at the meetup so I'm wondering if she got her earlier."

"Tch. Knowing her, she probably just slept in late and is rushing over here now."

"But that's the thing, you don't know her."

Kagami gaped at Kuroko's back which just suddenly seemed to have turn on him. How could he say that?!

"Well it's not like I want to know her anyway!"

"...Kagami-kun, I think you should be a little nicer to Mia."

"What?! But she's the one who keeps starting it!"

"And you're the one who keeps turning it into a fight."

"But-!"

"Kuroko! Kagami!" Koga called over, waving his hands excitedly at the duo, "Come check it out! It's the ocean!"

Looking back down to continue his conversation with Kuroko, Kagami found the teal haired male had already disappeared! Whipping his head in the direction of Koga and the others, he saw the missing man already halfway down the road. How the hell does he do that?!

"This is a really nice place!" One of the other freshmen said in awe, watching the clear blue waves rise and crash over the surface.

"It'll become hell in an instant though..."

As if on cue, a familiar (and terrifying) black Sudan pulled up in front of the basketball team, halting so close to them that they were able to fully see their reflections in the Windows.

"Right on time!" Riko announced, stepping out on the other side and facing her team members. "Everyone's here right?"

"Yes!" Everyone chorused after making sure that Kuroko was in sight.

"So Riko, I'm gonna leave the rest up to your friend over there okay?" Tora spoke as he lowered the car window. As he spoke he eyed every member on the team through his black rimmed sunglasses.

"She's not my friend." Riko insisted, her smile forced in her face "But thanks, Papa."

"Alright, good luck brats!" He waved, starting the engine once more. "Ah but, if any of you lay a hand on my daughter, I'll kill you."

"YES!" Everyone chorused once more. There shoulders stiff with fear.

"He's scary as always..." Hyuuga commented while watching the car pull away.

"Don't just stand there!" Commanded the devil coach "Let's go!

* * *

The beach was empty. They've only been out and about for five minutes, ten minutes tops, and already the wonderful area with a beautiful oceanic view was completely vacant from tourists and other guests. All that was left, were two very large best all hoops and a sand drawn basketball court.

"This section of the beach is for private use only. That's why there aren't any people to get in our way when we train." Riko explained, taking of her shoes and stepping into the sand. It was warm but not too hot for these bunch of babies.

"Coach, don't tell me..."

"Yup!" She responded too cheerfully, "We're playing right here."

"How did you even manage to get all of this put together?" Kagami asked as he took off his shoes with the rest of the players."

"Be grateful." A raspy voice spoke behind him.

"WOAH!" The redhead yelled, jumping away from the surprise guest and crashing into several of his upperclassmen. "TAKAGI MIA?!"

"Yes?" Mia answered, confused. It was obvious that she didn't know that her voice was the cause behind the sudden scare.

"What happened to your voice?" Kuroko asked, appearing out of nowhere, like usual, and becoming the only person to not be involved in the crash.

"Oh. It's been really dry lately, but after working to set everything up for a couple of hours, it just kind of left me I guess." The girl explained, massaging her throat and coughing to try and get it to clear up. The only thing she got in return was a burning pain down her throat. "I should be fine though."

"That doesn't sound fine to me." Kagami rose back up onto his feet and stomped his way over to the two friends, "And what was that crap about being grateful?"

"You should be grateful." Mia retaliated, her voice making her sound like an old witch the more she talked, "I set everything up so that you guys can train and better the skills you need to defeat Aomine-kun. That was what you wanted right?"

Without letting the giant answer, Mia walked away, coughing and hacking as she did so. All Kagami could do was point at her retreating figure and give Kuroko a look of disbelief, showing that he was right in his previous statement. But with the hard stare that Kuroko was giving him in return, Taiga didn't need words to know that he was saying that he was still right, as well.

"I've already told you this," Riko continued with, hopefully, no more interruptions, "But the goal for this training camp is to overcome your weaknesses."

"Weaknesses?"

"The thing that Seirin needs right now is the improvement of all individual players' abilities."

Mia watched from the sidelines as she took a swing of water to ease her throat pain. The looks of surprise from all of the players' eyes told her that they weren't expecting that one. Guess they still have a long way to go if they couldn't figure that one out from a mile away.

"But don't misunderstand. Even if the team's strength improves substantially, the five people on the team won't become a larger team. We don't want to have a single strength as a team. So we have to bundle our individual strengths together to become a stronger team."

'It's understandable.' Mia thought, circling different sections in her notebook that each player needed to work on to become better. 'At this rate, we would fail 84.695% of our games. But, hopefully, if this training does exactly what Riko-senpai wants it to do, then we would be winning that 84.695%. And with the training at the end of the break, who knows how much we will win.'

"For the sake of winning, we need to be united." Mia's pencil froze in place as she heard those words. It was only a fraction of a second, but to her it felt like eternity. Just how long has it been since words like that could make Takagi Mia smile?

Far too long.

"For shots, passes, and dribbles, in order to improve those skills one by one, the very important foundation we need to focus on are your legs."

"Even so," Kagami started, stomping his feet in the soft sand beneath him in frustration, "Won't we use up too much of our strength here?!"

"But, you see, that why we're practicing on this sandy beach. You're going to do the regular program...three times." The devil coach ordered, revealing her true colors as she stripped off her outer shirt to get better accustomed to the ongoing heat.

"THRICE?!"

"So now, let's begin this training camp from Hell!"

And with the sound of the whistle, every team member of the Seirin Basketball Team ran forward, determination in their eyes.

And the pencil of a certain ebony haired girl began to move again.

* * *

 _'Leg muscles on each player, at this rate, increase about 2.76% in power while performing in the sand.'_

"The ball's not going to bounce in the sand, Kuroko!"

 _'Estimated 1.3% growth in leg strength each day if training is constant. Soreness will surely follow. However, muscle memory will have a 3% improvement in indoor performances.'_

"Is dunking the only thing you can do, idiot?!"

 _'Teppei-nii's overall scoring levels are 5.7% lower than before his hospital visits. In order to grow back into the play he was before...no...in order to grow into an even better player, he must increase both arm and leg strength by 2.43% each day.'_

"KUROKO DON'T SLEEP!"

It was very hard to concentrate on mathematical calculations with each player (or mostly Hyuuga's) shouts of "encouragement", but nonetheless, Mia found herself smiling while keeping her head low in her book.

"Good job everyone!" Riko called, "Take a break now! We'll be relocating in the gym in the evening!"

"Y-yeah..."

Despite what her coach said, Mia kept her nose deep in her notebook, the small sounds of her pencil scratching paper becoming the only thing she heard.

That was, until a sharp pain in her throat threw her into yet another coughing fit.

Amidst all of the disgusting, old lady noises, Mia felt the sudden cool surface of a water bottle pressed against her cheek, startling the girl out of her fit.

"Yo." Kagami greeted, still out of breath from training. Mia carefully eyed the water and then the giant standing before her before giving in and grabbing the bottle from his large, tan hand. She quickly unscrewed the cap and chugged down about half of the bottle in an attempt to extinguish the fire in her throat.

"Thank you." She said finally, not even caring if Kagami had already gone about his business and left her after she grabbed her gift from him. But, when she glanced over her shoulder, she found him still there, continuously squirting water into his mouth like all of the other players.

"Mia." A cool voice spoke behind her. However, instead of startling her, she turned to find Kuroko panting next to her. She left the startling to Kagami who seemed to have spit out his water in shock of the new presence among them. "Are you alright?"

"...Yes?" She answered. Although, her voice was still sounding like she smoked twelve packs of cigarettes a day. "My throat will be fine in a couple of days time. So I'm fine."

"No." The ghostly man insisted, "You seem...tired. Like you haven't been sleeping lately. It's not good to be sleep deprived and in the heat like this. I think you should go ask the coach if you can go inside before us."

She can never really brush anything off without her friend noticing first, could she?

"Testuya, I'm fine." Said Mia, "It's true that I haven't been getting as much sleep lately but I'll be alright. It's not like I haven't done this before. In fact I still need to continue to do my own duties if I want Riko-senpai to hire me as your manager."

Without letting the conversation continue, Mia slammed her book closed and stood up quickly. Dusting off the sand from her bottom, she ignored the stares from the person in front of her and most importantly the stares from the giant behind her. Really, did he not think she would notice the holes he was burning into the back of her head?

"Now if you'll excus-" She began to say, but the moment she took a step forward, her vision began to see double, and oh man, if you thought one Kuroko was bad enough, imagine what two would feel like.

'Maybe I should call Sacchan and tell her that she has to choose between two Tetsuyas now. Wait, why would I call her? I'm trying to stay away from her, away from everyone. Wait no, I was trying to give the team their towels to cool off. They worked so hard today, it would be a shame if I didn't show them that. Shouldn't I have hit the ground by now? I don't know what's happening...'

"...Mia! TAKAGI MIA!" Kagami continued to yell at the limp body in front of him. It all happened so fast, she took one step and just crumpled before them. Luckily, he was able to reach out and hook his arm around her stomach before she hit her head on the concrete. But, god dammit, couldn't she have just been more careful?!

"Kagami-kun, she fainted." Said Kuroko, a tinge of worry in his eyes at the sight of his friend lying between them, "I don't think she's gonna hear you."

"What happened?!" Riko demanded, kneeling next to Kagami and Kuroko to get a better look. At this point, it was up to Hyuuga to force everyone else away to give Mia some air.

"She just stood up and fainted." Kagami summarized quickly. There was nothing else to it in his point of view.

"She hasn't been sleeping well," Kuroko continued "I think that had something to do with her fainting."

Understanding the situation well enough, Riko reached out and placed her palm against Mia's forehead, only to quickly remove it just to strip the girl of her black jacket.

"She has a fever. We need to get her inside."

"Are you sure it's not just the heat from the sun?" Kagami asked, throwing in his two cents.

"I'm pretty sure I can tell the difference between a fever and an overheated body, Bakagami!" Riko scolded, shoving his two cents back down his throat as she folded up her jacket and grabbed an extra water bottle. "Now help me get her inside!"

Without any more need to repeat herself, or to humiliate him, the redhead placed his hands behind the fallen girl's back and underneath her knees and lifted her up effortlessly.

"She better not complain after this." Kagami growled as he made his way to the old run down hotel they were staying at. "I could've easily thrown her over my shoulder if it weren't for the coach."

"The rest of you come inside too." Riko ordered, "We don't want anymore of you to faint before training tonight."

"YES!"

* * *

"Geh, this place is pretty old."

"Shut up, Takao."

Large numbers of orange jerseys bearing the name "Shutoku" walked passed locals, gaining their attention at the look of savagery among their players. Of course it's a look the team always received, it wasn't one they had to work hard to achieve.

"Eh?" Takao searched the area for his fellow teammate, wondering how he could lose someone as tall as him. Especially since he had green hair and bandages on his left hand. "Shin-chan?"

Several feet behind the rest of the team was none other than Midorima Shintarou, and in his hand was something that he never thought he would see again...

A small four leaf clover keychain.

* * *

 **Next one is coming soon~**


	11. The Beginnings of a New Sunrise II

**Here's the next one! We've made it to the tenth chapter! And things are not looking to good for Mia-chan~ TT^TT**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _"Kuroko-kun." Kuroko heard an almost silent voice whisper behind he as he drank from his bottled water. Him and Mia never really talked to one another except for the occasional data updates, so having the teen approach him like this was quite odd for the both of them._

 _"Yes?"_

 _"…May I discuss something with you?"_

 _"…Sure."_

 _Quite odd indeed._

 _"Oi, she's taking Tetsu away." Aomine said, glancing at the two figures exiting the gym while aiming a perfect shot. "Wasn't that_ thing _you were going to tell her happening today?"_

 _Despite trying their hardest not to show their interest, the other members of the Generation of Miracles listened closely to the answer that would follow. They all knew what Midorima Shintarou wanted to say to Takagi Mia, they just had no choice but to keep their mouths shut about it._

 _"Change of plans." Answered Midorima as he pushed up his glasses. The light in the gym wasn't all too bright, yet it somehow managed to reflect off the lenses with such intensity that it sealed away the emotions in his eyes, making it almost impossible for anyone to read him. "Why should I even bother when she doesn't understand anything other than data."_

 _Meanwhile, the female on everyone's mind at the moment, was currently walking with the phantom sixth member of the Generation of Miracles._

 _"Takagi-san." Kuroko reached out and tug, lightly, on the female's arm to get her to stop moving. They have been walking down several hallways without any of them saying anything, and the young middle schooler knew that this was about way more than just a stroll. "What was it you needed to discuss?"_

 _He wasn't able to see her face from where he stood, but Kuroko knew that she was probably contemplating on how to put together her words._

 _"Tell me, Kuroko-kun," Mia began, finally turning to fully face her companion, "What exactly is so important about a four leaf clover?"_

 _"A four leaf clover?"_

 _"I figured that out of everyone on the team, you would be the most suitable one to ask about such a topic. I fear that everyone else would either joke about such a thing or just pay more attention to the snack they have in their hand rather than me."_

 _"Ummmm…" Now it was the teal haired teen's turn to try and string his sentences together in a way that she would understand, "All I really know about them being important is the legend that they bring good luck to those who possess them."_

 _"I see." The solemn look on the girl's face told Kuroko what he feared most, that he most likely didn't help._

 _"Forgive me for asking, Takagi-san," He tried again, "But if the question was as simple as this, then why didn't you just ask Momoi-san? After all, you both seem much closer than you and I."_

 _"I already asked and she gave me the same exact answer you did." Mia snapped back. It startled the basketball player how frustrated she seemed at the moment. "And while I understand quite well already_ why _the four leaf clover is so important, I fear I am looking for a more in depth definition. Midorima-kun looked so distraught that I just can't come to terms on why."_

 _"Midorima-kun?"_

 _"Yes, I told him that I don't see the point in carrying lucky items such as a four leaf clover when his performance level will be just as excellent. Now, about the clover-"_

 _"Takagi-san, excuse me for interrupting." Kuroko spoke, forcing Mia to snap her deep blue eyes back up at him in surprise, "But, I think I may know what you are having trouble understanding."_

 _"Really?" Mia asked. She was just so determined to make thing clear, "Please do tell."_

 _"You understand that Midorima-kun carries with him his lucky item for the day wherever he goes?"_

 _"Of course."_

 _"Well, telling him that his way of doing things is stupid, especially since it's become his way of life, doesn't exactly give excellent results if you ask me."_

 _"But that makes no sense." The young girl rebutted, "Many of the other team members tell him the exact same thing and he always brushes them off. Why am I any different?"_

 _"…I feel like that is something that Midorima-kun needs to tell you himself."_

 _"…I see." Kuroko, for the first time since he's known her, could actually_ see _the gears turning and burning in Mia's head. It was actually pretty amusing. "So you're saying that I have to understand Midorima-kun's world better."_

 _"I would say so, yes."_

 _"Understood." And with a short nod to the head, the ebony haired girl seemed satisfied. "Thank you, Kuroko-kun."_

 _Turning her back towards the basketball player, Mia began to continue her walk down the hall without Kuroko. But, suddenly, she stopped, turned on her heel once more, and stomped her way back towards the phantom man, startling him when she stopped with her face inches from his face. Now this was certainly a sight of her he's never seen before._

 _"Can you please do me one more favor, Kuroko-kun?"_

* * *

Her eyelids were heavy, and her entire body felt so sore, making the pain in her middle finger seem like nothing. Exhaustion coursed through her every vein until it made it impossible to actually go back to sleep. She needed to wake up, she needed to roam, she needed to be anywhere but _here_.

"Mmmmmm." She groaned. It was all she was capable of doing at the moment.

"So, you're awake?" A female voice sounded from the other end of the room. Finally forcing her eyes open to what seemed like a darkened room, Mia stretched and looked in the direction of the sound. It calmed her somewhat when she realized it was only her coach who had just walked into the room.

"Riko-senpai?" said Mia. She heard the way her voice sounded more feminine than it did several hours ago and she couldn't help but feel relieved that the worst was already over. However, she still had a sore throat, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. "I take it I was brought to our hotel room?"

"Well, it doesn't seem like anything can get past you." Riko answered, taking off her pink whistle and slamming in on the dresser next to her bed. If Mia didn't know any better she would say her coach is mad about something.

"Did something happen during training?"

"Nope! Everything went really well! They managed to improve somewhat and if we continue training like we did today, then they will get a hell of a lot better."

"I don't understand." The underclassman questioned, a look of confusion crossing her face as she continued to watch Riko walk around the room and grab different articles of clothing, presumably for the bath downstairs. "What's the problem?"

"The problem, Takagi-san, is _you_."

"…eh?"

"I don't know what exactly you're trying to prove to me, but if you really think I'm gonna let you become manager when all you seem to be doing is messing with your health, then you have another thing coming for you."

Mia sat there, stunned. There were times where Riko was angry, actually those moments happened quite often around Kagami and Kuroko, but this was the most angry Mia has ever seen her coach. What's more is that is wasn't because she was being stupid, it was the consequences that Riko was angry about.

"I'm not going to have anyone become manager if they think that not getting any sleep and refusing their coach access to their data charts, something I think is very important in helping us win Winter Cup, is the answer. I mean seriously! How long did you get to sleep before coming here, Takagi-san?"

The question was sudden, and Mia wasn't really expecting to be asked any with the way Riko was handling things. Not only that, but the answer wasn't exactly something her coach would be happy to hear.

"….somewhere around thirty minutes." She answered, blue eyes avoiding any contact with brown.

"Thirty minutes?!"

"With all do respect, Riko-senpai, you did call me and force me to come with you at five in the morning."

"And I wouldn't have done so if you would have _told_ me!" Riko said exasperated and with fingers to her temple, "I'm your coach! Not a monster! I don't know how they treated you guys back in Teiko, but you've got to understand that we do things completely different here! If you continue to treat your body and your teammates the way you are now, then not only will you body deteriorate, but you won't have anyone to go back to!"

It seemed that her words managed to struck something in Mia, for she just sat there, wide eyed and brows furrowed, unable to speak the feelings she wanted to express.

"I hope you know that." The brown haired female finished, grabbing her extra clothes and towel and storming out of their shared hotel room, the lamp next to the futon shaking slightly from the vibrations the slammed door left. All that was left in the room was a sick girl who, at this point, can't even think straight. Was it true that the way she was approaching everything in becoming manager wrong?

"Shit." Mia hissed, slamming herself back down on the futon and digging the heel of her hands in her eyes until she saw stars. Once her eyes managed to focus clearly on the fan above her, all she could do was sigh. "Damn it."

Because what exactly could a girl do when all she had left was a torn ligament and a notebook full of charts she won't even share?

* * *

It had been an hour since Riko had left to go to the hot baths, a privilege she was more than happy to succumb to after a long and hard day of training idiot boys into men. However, there's only a certain amount of time the female could spend in the bath without it being to obvious that she just didn't want to go back to her room. Who would? Takagi Mia was becoming more of a hassle than a manager in Riko's eyes.

Sighing, the upperclassman rose above the surface and began to dry herself off and put on her clothes again. While it was regrettable to leave such a relaxing bath, it was also irresponsible to be the only one on the team slacking off, or worse, avoiding other teammates, no matter if they're temporary or not.

"Riko." A robotic sounding voice called once the female coach left her feminine sanctuary and rounded the corner. She didn't know what the hell she was expected, but a vibrating Kiyoshi Teppei was not one of them.

"UWAH!" She screeched before stumbling against the wall in an attempt to keep herself from falling. Placing a hand over her heart, she tried her hardest to keep her beats steady and constant again. "Why the hell are you on that thing?"

"I couldn't resist." Was all the answer Riko got as she picked up the school uniform she had dropped from the scare. "Hey, have you seen Hyuga?"

"He should be outside. I saw him leave about an hour ago with a ball." She answered, still a bit freaked out by how much that massage chair was making Teppei vibrate. Was that even healthy?

"Shit!" Teppei exclaimed, releasing himself from the rattling prison. "I'm slacking off! I'm gonna go meet up with him."

"Hold on one moment!" Riko ordered, wacking his forehead so that he was forced back into the prison he had come from. The action was so sudden that for a moment, the girl didn't know for what purpose she did it. However, it only took a second, and like magic she was able to gather the courage to ask her question.

"What do you think…of this training camp?"

"Eh?" Asked Kiyoshi, whose voice had gone back to it's robotic form. "Are you worried about something?"

"…Not really."

"Hmmmmmm." With a flick of a switch, the veteran player shut off the "wonderful" chair and closed his eyes, deep in thought. "Ah! I've got something!"

"Yes?"

"No…Nevermind."

"… _What_?"

"What you're doing is right." He continued, serious this time, "With the practice now, everyone's basic performance is improving. If there are any problems, it'll be because of us. If there's something we need in order to improve more, then it'll be the individual player's job to know what it is. You can even say it's like creating our own style."

Riko took those words to heart, staring mostly at the wall behind Kiyoshi rather than the man himself. She felt like those were the kind of words she needed to be satisfied, but why was it that she still felt lost about something?

Looking down, she was surprised to see her companion smirking at her from his seat, his eyes holding somewhat of a mischievous spark in them.

"But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Eh?"

"I bet you're actually asking for Mia-san's sake."

"Wait, _what_?"

"Riko, are you worried about Mia-san?"

"No!" Riko shouted, fully intent on defending herself from the sudden attacks and accusations of actually _caring_ about that troublemaker. "I'm just worried I'm not doing something right in this camp for the team, that's why I was asking. In no way shape or form was I asking for her."

"But you did just that you were asking for the team. Isn't she on the team?"

"Temporarily."

"Still means she's on the team, Riko."

"Wha-?! Bu-! I jus-!" Riko's mouth began to open and close with each passing breath she took to retaliate. When no words came out to express how _she_ thought she felt, she ended up just looking like a stupid fish. "Fine. What do you think I should do with Takagi-san?"

Chuckling at the way Riko's cheeks tinted pink and the way she pouted after giving in, Teppei leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees.

"Mia-san is obviously in this sort of fragile state at the moment. The first time I ever talked to her, she seemed like she was about to break down because of the way she managed to confuse herself. Now it seems like others are the ones to blame for her confusion."

"You better not be implying what I think you're implying." Riko glared.

"Remember, Riko, you asked for advice." Teppei said, holding his hands out and waving them in front of him as if they would defend him from Riko's wrath. "Teiko is a powerful school with an even powerful basketball team. We can only imagine what Kuroko and Mia-san went through working on that team. However, Kuroko seems just fine. Sure, he's strayed from his path slightly, but he still manages to keep going and although he's probably wanted to give up, he's still trying to find his new style. Mia-san, on the other hand, must've gone through much worse. She went away to America and has only recently come back, according to Kuroko she has a record of fighting, and as she's shown today, has a tendency to think of her work rather than think of her health. If anything, I'd say she's beginning to revert back to her old self since that's the only way she's done things. Alone."

"But that's not how we do it here!" The coach sighed, banging her head lightly against the wall. "I even told her that."

"Maybe now, you just need to show her. Let her learn that there are other ways to become a good manager." And with that, the 'Iron Heart' let out a loud bark of laughter, "That's how Seirin does it."

Riko eyed the man sitting next to her carefully, going up and down from his head to his feet as if inspecting whether or not there was some catch. She must've been burning holes in him, for he turned his head and looked up at his captain with confusion.

"Why didn't you become captain?" She asked, ignoring the way the person in question expressed his surprise too openly, "I don't have any problem with Hyuga-kun, but you're just as qualified."

"That guy's more competent than me, that's why." Teppei answered with a sad smile, "You push us, and Hyuga pulls us. That's what's best for Seirin."

"And Seirin works together." Riko finished. Sighing for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, the girl leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms across her chest, "Let's get back on topic. So you're saying that we're no good at the rate we're at now?"

"Well…Let's see…"

* * *

 _"Oi, Tetsu." Aomine called the teen over once he saw the figure walking down the hall. Granted it took him several minutes and he only managed to find him when he was less than a foot away. "Do you know why Mia is down there in the grass like that?"_

 _At the mention of the assistant manager, Kuroko's curiosity peaked and swiftly he moved next to Aomine at the window in their classroom. Once he peered down, as requested, he didn't know whether to be scared or worried at the sight he saw._

 _There, several inches deep in the grass, was none other than Takagi Mia. Her hands continuously roamed the greenery as if searching for something. However, whatever she was searching for remained a mystery to them both._

 _"She does know that lunch is about to end, right?" Asked Aomine, the tan skinned teen leaning against the window pane in an attempt to get comfortable._

 _"Maybe she has a way to come back to class on time?" Kuroko wondered, not really too sure about what was going on. But, knowing the girl, they both knew that_ whatever _she was doing wasn't without reason._

* * *

The throbbing in her right hand was what woke up her the next day. And thank god for that. Mia knew that if she were to sleep any longer, Riko would have more reasons to go after her head.

But still, her hand hurt like a mother trucker.

"When the hell can I just get this damn thing _off_?" The sleepy beast growled, referring to her splint. It was really starting to get on her nerves, and yet she wasn't capable of flipping people off to take out her anger. Oh the irony.

She did have another hand though…

"Mmmmmmm….another time."

Feeling like she had to use every sore muscle in her body to get out of her futon, Mia slithered out of bed and rose to her feet wearily. Her brain guided her to her bag where he toothbrush and toothpaste were, but her body somehow managed to collide with the wall instead.

"Well, damn." Mia mumbled in surprise. Trying again for the second time, she was able to procure her bathroom necessities successfully, and with ease since that collision woke the child up more.

The hotel seemed deserted by how quiet it was down the hallway. If she didn't know any better, the girl would've thought that the place was haunted, especially by how run down it looked on the outside. But, with the rays of the newly awakened sun shining through the windows, it felt almost impossible to be thinking that way now.

Rounding the corner, Mia found what she was looking for, a sink to brush her teeth in. What she got as a bonus startled her still tired body by how giant its frame was.

"Good morning, Tiger." She greeted at the same time a yawn came out of her mouth. She was expecting at least a grunt in response, maybe even a glare as the giant accepted the fact that his safe haven from the evil doings of the coach was being shared. Instead, she received a startled yelp and a sink covered in blue toothpaste from the roughly squeezed tube Kagami's giant hand held.

"What the fuck is up with your hair?!" He shouted, noticing his dirty hand and using the sink to wash the blue goop off.

"What do you mean?"

"Your hair!" He clarified, "You have too much of it and it's making you look like some sort of monster!"

"Eh?" Still rather confused, Mia turned to face the mirror attached to the adjoined sinks and saw that Kagami was, indeed, correct. Her, black, and luscious hair seemed to have grown a rather large nest on top of her head, threadlike strands of ebony sticking out in their own places, marking their own territory. Some had even gotten into Mia's face, tickling her nose whenever she breathed.

"Oh dear, would you look at that."

"You mean you haven't noticed?"

"I had a lot of other things on my mind." She said while squeezing her own toothpaste on her brush. Turning to the side she offered some to Kagami who now currently had no toothpaste. "A little bed head won't kill me."

The redhead eyes went back and forth between the girl and the toothpaste in front of him, it was as if he was waiting for her to reveal her true nature behind sharing. But, since he did not have anymore toothpaste, thanks to the same female in front of him, he had no choice but to place his brush under the opening, allowing Mia to squeeze on some white paste.

Silence fell between the two. It felt heavy, thick, and deafening. It was as if, without Kuroko, they had nothing interesting to talk to each other about.

 _"Kagami-kun, I think you should be a little nicer to Mia."_

 _'Shut up!'_ Kagami thought, slamming his mental door in front of the familiar blue eyes of criticism. It was bad enough to have to deal with him in reality, he didn't need a little Kuroko as a conscience. _'It's not like I've even been mean to her! She's just difficult to handle.'_

The rushing sound of water caught the beast's attention. Looking down, he saw that Mia was rinsing out the toothpaste from her mouth in an awkward fashion, her cheeks so large and filled with water that she looked like a chipmunk. Add that with her extreme bed head and she might as well be identified as a black little monster. Either way, it was Kagami's turn to rinse out as well.

"Good Morning." A mellow voice greeted from the sidelines, scaring the duo. The sudden guest, however, merely stood there as Kagami choked on the liquid in his mouth, spitting the entire thing out before choking on the air that flowed through.

"Kagami-kun, you really shouldn't swallow toothpaste. That can kill you."

"Oh yeah? Well who's fault is that?!"

"Mia are you alright?"

"OI!"

But Kuroko's attention was already diverted to the other human being standing before him. Or at least, he hoped she was human with all that hair of hers. Her body was frozen stiff, her hand still holding her glass and her cheeks still filled with a mixture of toothpaste and water. Noticing that the female had, in fact, not moved, Kagami waved his hand in front of the area he though her face was, checking to see if she would react to it. It seemed to have done the trick since Mia automatically spat out her paste mixture all over his hand.

"What the hell?!" He shouted, not giving a damn about waking any one else up. Turning on the sick at full blast, he continuously rubbed his hands together with soap, trying to get rid of the horrible memory that had just occurred. "That's disgusting!"

"Tetsuya, why must you do that so early in the morning?" Mia asked, turning away from Kagami's situation innocently.

"Do what?"

"Are you guys ignoring me?!"

"Geh, people can be so loud in the morning." Another voice grumbled as he walked past the trio. His loud yawn making himself known to the freshman, even if he was trying to make himself known on purpose.

"Shut up Takao." Another voice scolded, sending shivers down Mia's spine at the familiarity of it. Low, smooth, and without hesitation, Mia could spot the person that voice belonged to from a mile away.

Midorima Shintarou.

"You've done nothing but complain ever since we got here."

"Oh come on, Shin-chan!" The black haired companion groaned "You can't say that these people aren't being too loud."

"Mia…" Kuroko whispered so that only his friend could hear. He knew what she wanted to do, and to be quite honest, he wouldn't blame her. But maybe if she would just listen to reason, then she would be able to talk with him instead of running away. Like she's always done.

"He's not Aomine-!" He continued. Unfortunately, it was too late.

Mia was already halfway down the hallway back to her room by the time Takao and Midorima noticed their presence.

"Eh?" Said Takao after realizing who he was talking badly about, surprise filling his features. And he wasn't the only one.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?!" Midorima demanded. His usual calm facade was completely broken down by the appearance of the same duo whose school defeated theirs in an unforgettable match. It was a memory that refused to leave Shintarou's mind.

"That's what I should be asking you!" Kagami retaliated.

"It's always been a tradition of ours to come here for training camp." Takao explained calmly. Moving to the side, he waved excitedly at the teal haired male behind the redheaded beast. "Long time no see~"

"…Long time no see." Kuroko greeted back, trying to hide the fact that there were more than two people standing there with them a second ago.

"Hey wait…" But nothing escaped the Hawk Eye "Weren't there three of you here?"

"Eh? Oh yeah! Where the hell did she go?!" Kagami asked as he whipped his head around in search of that black haired monster who spat on him a moment ago.

"Who?"

"An annoying girl trying to become our team's manager." He explained, scratching the back of he head, "She came out of no where and just demanded the position. Now she won't stop bugging our coach."

"Heh~. Must be rough. Good thing we don't have to deal with that, right Shin-can?" Takao elbowed Midorima repeatedly in a humorous matter, something that would have gotten the teen equally humorous results. And yet, the victim of such idiocy remained oddly stoic, his glasses reflecting everything but the look in his eyes after hearing such news.

"Shin-chan?" His partner tried again, leaning over to try and get into Midorima's field of vision. Even Kagami became confused with his rival's sudden change in behavior. Even so, the shooting guard kept his eyes focused on one thing….

Kuroko.

And the light blue eyes staring back at him held such an extreme amount of intensity and knowing that Midorima couldn't help but feel the twinge in his heart grow into an unbearable pain. If it was true, he would have to meet yet another memory that refused to leave his mind.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" Called the same voice of the female coach both Kuroko and Kagami had grown accustomed to. "Everyone's already in the dining hall!"

The sight of a bloody red substance covering Riko's face scared the life out of all four males, something large lodging itself into their throats so that they were rendered unable to yelp. The appearance of a large knife didn't make the scene any better, nor did the gory looking face of a kuma bear on the front of Riko's apron. Overall, the basketball players could've gone through life without having to witness such horror.

"What the hell _is_ your school, Kuroko?!" Midorima roared.

"It's Seirin High School."

"Not that!"

* * *

 _"She's late." Aomine stated, not really giving any details about who he was talking about. However, it was clear among the several middle schoolers still in the gym who he was talking about. "By several hours."_

 _"Did she eat something bad?" Murasakibara questioned. His hand was deep inside his third bag of potato chips and it was obvious that he was not slowing down any time soon. "I gave her some of my snacks today so she better tell me if any of them are bad."_

 _"You would still eat it anyway."_

 _"Eh~?"_

 _"Maybe we should call her."Kuroko suggested. After all, Akashi left early expecting Mia to come in later. If she didn't get any new data for tomorrow, or worse, not even show up tomorrow, then there're gonna be problems with their captain._

 _"She isn't picking up." Answered Momoi, holding out her phone to show that she had tried calling three times already._

 _"It's alright, Momoicchi." Kise reassured. Raising his hand, the blonde showed the pinkette a thumbs up and a bright smile full of confidence. "She'll never be able to resist if I call her. Let me try."_

 _'We're sorry. The number you have dialed is not available at this time. At the tone, please record your message. When you have finished recording, you may hang up, or press one for more options.'_

 _"SHE IGNORED ME~!"_

 _"There there, Ki-chan." Momoi said, comforting the sad blonde with a pat on the back as he crouched into a ball on the far end of the gym._

 _"So Taka-chin is missing~?"_

 _"Tch! That girl is probably just in some empty classroom writing in that stupid notebook of hers again."_

 _"Don't say that, Aomine-kun! Mi-chan would actually come to practice to make sure everyone is alright before leaving!"_

 _"You mean to make sure everyone is doing there job."_

 _"Aomine-kun!"_

 _Amidst the conversation and quarrels between each team member about Takagi Mia's whereabouts, Kuroko noticed that there was one person not joining in the conversation._

 _Swoosh_

 _Swoosh_

 _Swoosh_

 _"Midorima-kun." The calm voice called. The green haired teen, of course, wasn't expecting it and twitched right before his next shot was released from his hands._

 _"What is it, Kuroko?" The deep growl didn't even try to hide its disdain towards the other player. After all, the two never really felt like they could get along with each other._

 _"Aren't you worried about Takagi-san?"_

 _"…Why should I be?"_

 _"…Just asking."_

 _Sighing, the taller male focused once more on his aim, a target which was even further than his previous ones. With little effort at all, Midorima tossed the perfect ball and adjusted his glasses as it too swiftly went through the net._

 _"She is obviously just in her own world. We should leave her be."_

 _"But what if she got into an accident?!" Momoi exclaimed, jumping onto Kuroko's back and making it extremely obvious that she and the rest of the team overheard their conversation._

 _"How could she get into an accident at school?"_

 _"She could've fallen down the stairs!"_

 _"Doubtful."_

 _"A stray ball from the sports fields could've hit her!"_

 _"Not likely."_

 _"She could've had a bunch of heavy boxes fall on top of her!"_

 _"How and why would that happen?"_

 _"Micchi~"_

 _"Maybe she went to go get more snacks~"_

 _"You should finish those snacks you have there before you go requesting more."_

 _"Hmmmm~?"_

 _"MICCHI~"_

 _"Geez!" The pinkette finally snapped, managing to silence all the males and their stupid ideas. "I'm only worried because Mi-chan didn't come back to class after lunch today! Can't all of you take this seriously for once?"_

 _"She didn't come back to class?" Kise asked, showing more concern by the second. Not only did she resist his heavenly charms, but she also skipped class?! Of course, the assistant manager always resisted his flirtatious behavior around her, but his pride was currently on the line after that failure of a phone call._

 _"Ah!" Kuroko voiced, grabbing everyone's attention. "Aomine-kun, the garden…"_

 _The dark haired male widened his eyes after recalling the strange scene they both saw through the second story window. The ebony haired girl inches deep in dirt and grass as she searched intensely for something, the large group of onlookers who Aomine brushed off thinking that they were there because she had just gotten there, and the thought of her finding her way back before class started again…_

 _"Heh, no way." The tall teen insisted. He grabbed a basketball from Midorima's buggy and began to spin it on his finger. "She's not that stupid."_

 _"What about the garden?" Satsuki asked, curiously tugging on Aomine's sleeve._

 _"Tetsu and I saw Mia looking for something in the main garden in the courtyard. She was in the grass and everything."_

 _"What?!"_

 _All eyes diverted towards the shooting guard, who surprisingly sent one ball flying towards the backboard rather than through the net. "The courtyard you say?"_

 _"Yeah?" Immediately, Midorima took off running towards the gym doors, forgetting everything and everyone else left standing._

 _"Hey wait!"_

 _"Midorima!"_

 _"Midorimacchi!"_

 _One by one, each member of the Generation of Miracles ran out of the large gym after their teammate, until all that was left was a quiet purple headed giant and his loud bag of potato chips._

* * *

"I'll just leave the tray here." Riko said as she set down a tray full of food by Mia's futon. The girl had insisted that she stay in and rest for another day instead of training with the others, and while that made the female coach a little happier knowing that she is trying to remain healthy, it give her a weird suspicion that she was actually trying to ditch. Whatever the reason, Riko allowed it either way.

"Mmm." Mia acknowledged, not even lifting the covers up to show her face to her coach.

Feeling the awkwardness and tension in the room by staying, the brown haired girl decided that it was best if she left the sickly girl be. Getting ready to shut the door behind her, Riko looked back at the freshman once more, watching as the large lump rose and fell with her steady breathing.

 _"Let her learn that there are other ways to become a good manager."_

 _'Well I can't exactly do that if she refuses to even show her face.'_ She thought, sighing and letting the door slide shut with a soft _thud_.

It took five seconds of intense listening and breath holding to make sure that Riko had completely left before Mia rose up slowly from her bed. Looking to the side, she saw a rather large plate of fish with an equally large bowl of rice and miso soup. While the entire meal looked appetizing, especially since she hasn't eaten since yesterday morning, knowing that Riko had cooked the meal sent an entire wave of doubt coursing through Mia's body. Thanks to that, she suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore.

 _'Midorima-kun…'_ Although, it wasn't as though she was too worried about food now anyway.

Images of the last time Mia saw the green haired teen haunted her memories. Every last argument, every last quarrel, every last fucking lucky item. She remembered them all. And god damn it did it hurt. Clutching her head, Mia tangled her long black hair even more as she tried to ease a migraine coming on. She knew that sooner or later she would have to meet the people of her past when she came back. She even texted Kise thinking that she would be more than prepared for it all. But after her actions today with Midorima, and _especially_ her actions with Aomine, she didn't even know if she _could_ become Seirin's manager.

Riko was right, she is a problem.

Looking up from her crouched position, Mia scanned the room quickly for the black silhouette of her jacket. The coach had seemed to have set it down next to her bag, and with a few swift movements, Mia crawled over. Sticking her hand into her one of the pockets, she searched for the familiar cold feeling of the clover keychain she had put away earlier on at the start of the camp, not wanting to lose it. However, when all she felt was soft fabric in both pockets, her eyes widened. Throwing the jacket aside, she unzipped her bag and searched frantically for the item in there, only to get the same results.

"No, no! Not again!" Mia mumbled as she continued to panic in her quest to find the keychain. By the time she had checked the entire room, and found absolutely no trinket, Mia ran her hands roughly trough her hair. It wasn't good to panic, she knew that. In fact, she shouldn't even be so worried over something so little.

"Riko-senpai probably has it." She reassured herself, "She must have seen it fall out and put it in her pocket to make sure it wouldn't fall out again." But that didn't even sound plausible to her. The only explanation was that it fell around the spot where they trained yesterday, at the beach.

 _'No I can't go. It's too late. I may not even be able to see clearly out there in the dark.'_

But as the silenced thickened with Mia's mind reeling, she couldn't help but quickly brush her still messy hair into a low ponytail, grab her phone and run out of the room, leaving the suspicious food uneaten beside her futon.

* * *

 _"Takagi!" Midorima panted once they had finally reached the courtyard. It wasn't particularly big, but there was a large patch of rich, green grass smack down in the middle, making it easy to spot the black hair of the person who went missing. At the sound of her name, Mia turned her head towards them, showing the deep blue eyes that seemed to be the thing that stood out the most in the throng of green._

 _"Midorima-kun?" She asked surprised, though her face showed lack of it. "What are you doing here? And why does everyone look like they're about to die?"_

 _Confused about being asked such a question, Shintarou looked over his shoulder to see the rest of Teiko's basketball team arriving breathless strides. Some even collapsed right then and there while a certain pink haired manager nursed them back to life. It was an odd sight for sure, but inevitable as they only appeared that way because of their friend's unusually fast speed and determination to get to Mia._

 _"That isn't important at the moment." He answered, ignoring his careless teammates' actions. Studying the serious look on the man's face, Mia stood from her spot, showing the many stains and cuts she received while digging around the garden all day._

 _"Why are you here?" Midorima asked, "Did you come here knowing that there are clovers growing here?"_

 _"Eh?! Really?!" Kise exclaimed from behind him._

 _"Ah! It's true! Look!" Momoi responded, pointing to the different little clovers all around the garden, even in the spot Mia was standing in._

 _"You've got to be kidding me."_

 _"How did you know about the clovers, Midorin?"_

 _"I came here in search of my lucky item, of course!" He answered as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. "But is that why_ you _came here, Takagi?"_

 _"Yes." Mia replied immediately, catching Midorima off guard. "And after many wasteful hours of searching, I finally managed to find the one thing you couldn't, Midorima-kun."_

 _A tick mark formed on the forehead of the bespectacled teen. While her confidence and pride was admirable, the least she could've done was rephrase her words in a more formal and respectful way. Shintarou's mind was so full of ways to talk back to the young girl that he didn't even notice the distance between them was dwindling until she stood only a mere foot away._

 _"Here." She said, holding her hand out to the tall basketball player. "Your lucky item."_

 _Laying there in the middle of her palm was a small, fragile, yet beautifully green four leaf clover._

 _"It's a few days late, but you never know when Oha Asa will mention this again in your future." Mia continued, still holding out the small life in her hand. "Ah! But if there is ever a chance where she will predict horrible things in your future if you have a four leaf clover, then by all means throw it out."_

 _Hesitant at first, Midorima grabbed the plant from Mia's hand, relishing the softness of both the leaves and the hand in which it came from. Looking it over once, he counted each perfectly shaped leaf. It was almost impossible to find something this perfect in the world. And yet Takagi Mia managed to do so in a middle school._

 _"But why-?"_

 _"Forgive me." The girl apologized without even giving Midorima the chance to finish his question. Bowing, Mia saw the small pieces of dirt escape from her short hair, not even doing anything to brush them away. Instead she stayed like that in front of the player, the other members of the team, even the newly revived Kuroko, peered over Shintarou's shoulders to watch the amazing situation unfold before them._

 _"It has come to my attention that I said a careless comment towards both you and your ways in lucky items and horoscopes." Mia explained."That is why I came out here, knowing about the clovers, in search of a living four leaf clover as an apology gift. In exchange…" Straightening her back up to face Midorima properly, Mia dug into her skirt pocket and pulled out a recognizable key ring and the shiny four leaf clover it held. "I would like to keep this."_

 _"Wha-?!" The viridescent haired player gaped as he watched the tiny artifact dangle from left to right in Mia's hand. "How did you get that?!"_

 _"Kuroko-kun." Was all she said. Automatically, all eyes searched for the suspect, relief washing over them all when they saw he was in the same place he was before._

 _"Ah." Kuroko said, now understanding why Mia forced him to go look through Midorima's locker yesterday, despite the other party continuously saying how rude it was to do so._

 _"I see." Shintarou mumbled. He was clearly disturbed by the fact that someone went through his locker without him looking, and because he didn't even notice the item was gone in the first place. He was expected to, as Mia said before, use it in case Oha Asa mentioned it again. Looking down, he watched as the four leaf clover flutter as a gentle breeze blew past them._

 _Now he has something else to use instead._

 _Smirking, Midorima clutched the clover in his hands gently and pushed up his glasses up his nose. She still didn't seem to quite understand, but with a full day of her digging around dirt and grass, and this new lucky item, how the hell could he still be mad? After all, there was still a chance she might understand his feelings more after this._

 _"Alright." He answered. "I accept your apology. And you may keep that item with you. However, I do not recommend it."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"It is not your lucky item. But, if you still want it, then you may have it."_

 _"I see. Thank you Midorima-kun." Placing the keychain back in her skirt pocket, Mia looked over at the other members of the Generation of Miracles. "Nonetheless, I still do not understand why all of you are here as well. And were is Mura-bo?"_

 _"MICCHI!" Kise cried, glomping the poor girl with tears in his eyes, "Why didn't you answer my calls?"_

 _"Did you call, Kise-kun?"_

 _"No~! Call me, Ryota-kun!"_

 _"Declined."_

 _"Micchi~"_

 _"Mi-chan! Why didn't you text saying you were going to do something this nice? I would've covered for you." Another bumbling idiot sobbed._

 _"My apologies."_

 _One by one the other team members gathered around the assistant manager, celebrating the fact that she wasn't missing anymore. The only one who refused to celebrate with them was the same man holding his newly obtained four leaf clover, and the sixth member of the Generation of Miracles._

 _"Did you talk with her about this?" Midorima asked._

 _"She only came to me for some clarity." Kuroko made clear, smiling softly at the increasingly loud group in front of them. "The rest was all her doing."_

 _"I see."_

 _"What about you, Midorima-kun? Did you get to say what you wanted to say to her?"_

 _The words struck a chord in the shooter. Of course he never got to say what he wanted to say. He was too busy trying to make Mia understand the ways of the lucky item that he didn't have time to speak with her properly. But with the unexpected way she handled the situation, giving him something better than the lucky item itself, Midorima wondered himself when he would get to talk with her._

 _"Enough of this." He said, turning away and heading back to the gym. "We need to concentrate and the tasks that Akashi left for us."_

 _"Ah! Midorin, where are you going?!"_

 _"Midorimachii!"_

 _"Oi, Tetsu, why are you standing there. We need to finish practice with a scrimmage for sure!"_

 _"Ah."_

 _"Kya~ Tetsu-kun you'll do great!"_

 _"Aomine-kun, you may try for a scrimmage all you want, but the probability of Mura-bo joining in willingly is at 5%."_

 _"Then we will just make it 2 on 2!"_

 _One day, he will talk with her. Right now, though, Midorima will enjoy his time at practice for once._

* * *

"Not here." Mia mumbled, waving her white phone in a different area, the light barely making things easier for her to search. "Not here. Not here. Fucking hell! It's not anywhere!"

Frustrated, the teen threw her phone down into the sand, not even caring if she wouldn't be able to find it either. She had searched a good hour for that stupid key chain, getting cuts and scrapes on her hands and knees as she did so. All she managed to find were broken bottle pieces and missing bottle caps. What was worse was that it was dark and she came with a phone low on battery. Her light was so low that it didn't even look like she had a light at all from a distance. Trying to calm her head, Mia sat on the edge of the concrete where the hard road met the sand and rested her arms on her knees. Bending her head down, she tried several breathing exercises until all she could hear were the small sounds of waves crashing over one another ahead of her. The summer heat was bearable at night, unlike how it usually is during the day time, and in the far distance a cricket chirped. It was calming, undisturbed, and tranquil.

"Takagi."

Until Mia felt her heart plummet down to her stomach.

She didn't want to turn her head around. The enormous potency she felt over such a feeling left her feeling nauseous and trembling with fear. But, nevertheless, Mia felt her head turn slowly towards the sound of the deep nostalgic voice, her widened blue eyes meeting with piercing green ones.

"…Midorima-kun."

She really should've stayed in bed.

* * *

 **Please give me a review of what you all think! They really help make the story better and help me upload faster if I get your positive words of encouragement and maybe even some constructive** **criticism. :)**


	12. The Beginnings of a New Sunrise III

_"What on earth is that?"_

 _Midorima's body froze at the sudden cold voice that sounded next to him, the basketball in his hands lingered in its position in the air. Turning to the side, he caught a glimpse of the newest member of the basketball team, her deep blue eyes piercing his green ones with absolute power that it made his skin crawl. To be quite honest, she didn't seem like much when Momoi rushed her into the gym and to their captain, insisting that she is a perfect asset to their plays and strategies. With her short black hair, pale complexion, and perfect uniform, the girl looked more like a plain, emotionless, middle school student rather than a genius._

 _"What is that by your feet, Midorima Shintarou-kun?" She asked again, this time pointing to the large item kept by the shooting guard's feet. Looking down, Midorima recognized the shape of an old tanuki doll he had bought at a thrift store earlier that week._

 _"That is my lucky item." He explained as he turned back to face the newbie with a glare that dared her to speak baldy about his godly item. Unfortunately for him, she was a person who always dared._

 _"What purpose does keeping a ridiculous object like that have in basketball?"_

 _"Those who have no intention on staying for more than a month would not and do not need to understand the ultimate power of Oha Asa." Midorima irritatingly said, throwing the almost forgotten basketball in his hands. With a swoosh, it flew perfectly through the net, yet still, the quiet girl never showed any impressed emotion or feeling. She just stood there, still, and emotionless._

 _He thought that was the end of that. He thought that he had won, and that he would never have to hear the girl's cocky words again. It was true that those with the intention of becoming part of the team barely stayed, whether it was to play or to assist. Even with a silent and robotic girl like this one, it would ultimately end up the same way._

 _However..._

 _"Well then, I guess I will have to learn about this Oha Asa and prove that I understand."_

* * *

"What on earth is that?" Mia asked from her spot on the edge of the road. Once again Midorima was keeping a rather odd item by his side...er, back. Attached to him was a furry animal backpack, it's round, black eyes shined in the moonlight and bore a hole in the raven haired girl's head as she continued to stare at it. She was pretty sure it was supposed to be a panda, but it was too dark to be absolutely clear.

"My lucky item, of course." Midorima answered with a push of his glasses like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Of course." Mia chuckled. He never changed.

Moving her eyes from the furry creature, Mia looked back at Shintarou's face until blue eyes met green once more. His were colder, more calculating as he stared at her hard. It was as if he was waiting for her to disappear, like she was just some ghost of his imagination.

"I'm not going anywhere, Midorima-kun." Mia solemnly said as she stared back out at the sea. A slight breeze blew over the both of them, tickling the girl's nose when a few strands of ebony hair brushed across her face.

"Your hair grew." Midorima's deep voice said, surprising Mia at the sudden change of tone and subject.

"Yeah. A lot." She answered, tucking some loose strands behind her ear.

It wasn't like when she met Aomine at the convenience store a few weeks back. She was still scared, shitless even. Her heart wouldn't stop pounding and her hands trembled even though it was 90 degrees out. But, there was no tension, no dark hole ahead of her that led her to a world of nothing but darkness. Instead, she just felt like a criminal. A criminal who only had to go through an intense awkward stage full of questions and accusations. It was nothing like what she had to, and would still have to, go through with that tall, tan male. Nothing at all.

"So? Go ahead." Said Mia insisted. Standing up, she marched down the small slope into the sand to grab her phone, brushing off the pieces that clung to the outside. If it wasn't dead then, it was surely dead now.

"Eh?"

"Ask your questions. I know that your brain isn't just filled with horoscopes and lucky items. The other 34% has to be reserved for other things."

"Oi."

A small huff of laughter escaped Mia's lips at the male's reaction. Even her jokes felt different to her. They felt lighter, nostalgic, and easier to come up with. When did she get so quick witted?

"Go ahead. I deserve to be interrogated after what I did."

The sea grew louder as the silence drove on longer. Mia was afraid of the way Midorima's eyes pierced through her whenever she looked at him, so her back faced him instead.

"What is that on your hand?"

"My hand?" The girl questioned. Whipping her head back towards the green haired teen, she arched one black eyebrow in confusion. Out of all the questions he could've asked, why in the world would he choose such a random one? However, once she looked down at the hand holding her white phone, she caught the small glimmer of the metal on her splint.

"Oh! I forgot about this for a moment! Yeah, I tore my ligament back in America when I got into a brawl with an upperclassman."

"Eh?" Midorima's jaw hung open at the casual way Mia explained her situation, shock filling his eyes as he watched the girl's lips widen into a smile.

"Got expelled after that too! It was kind of a low blow for me." Scratching the back of her head with her good hand, Mia recognized the look of despair on the shooter's face and immediately shut up. Her lips forming a thin line, she lowered her hand and stared back down at her feet.

"I see." Shintarou acknowledged. "Seriously, what is up with the people at this school?"

"What?"

"Never mind." He quickly dismissed, waving his hand at her to make her stop asking questions before she even asked them. Looking back up from his hand, Midorima saw the girl's look of patience. He knew she was waiting for him to ask more questions, to interrogate her until they both got into trouble with their respective teams for staying out this late. Sighing, he pushed up his glasses once more...

And started to walk away.

"Well then, good night."

"Eh?" Flabbergasted, the Raven haired girl stood in her spot on the stand, her brain trying to come up with an excuse of what was happening. But no matter how much she tried, she couldn't accept it.

"W-Wait one moment, Midorima Shintarou-kun!"

The sudden use of his full name froze the giant in place. Looking over his shoulder he watched as Mia jogged up to catch up with him. Despite it being only a short distance, she became rather breathless by the time she was close enough with him. She should really exercise more.

"That's it?!" She exclaimed.

"Yes."

"You don't want to know where I've been, or why I left? Why I never contacted you guys? Come one, I've been mentally preparing for this day since I came back to Japan and all you ask is what's on my finger?"

To say that Midorima was shocked would've been an understatement. Although most of his features were hidden in an unbreakable mask, his eyes widened slightly at the way Mia exploded. She was emotional, fired up, and slowly getting louder each minute.

The complete opposite of the girl Midorima lost in middle school.

'No, that can't be.' He thought, determined 'She must be having one of her small outbursts again.'

"I don't think you understand." Mia could hear his usual 'Nanodayo' at the end of his sentences. It was rather calming knowing that he hadn't gotten rid of his special way of speaking. "You said you got that injury in America just now. Also, if it's a torn ligament then that means it needs a few weeks of recovery, indicating that you've only gotten back recently."

Mia stared back at her companion in disbelief. If she didn't know any better, she would say that Midorima has gotten better at his analytical skills since middle school. Just how much skill do these generation of miracles have?

"Furthermore, I honestly don't need your personal explanation on why you left or why you haven't contacted us. You've always been the kind to do things for a cause. There was no such thing as you doing something without a perfectly good reason."

The ebony hair on Mia's head flew past her face as a sudden strong gust of wind energy blew past them. By the time she had managed to fix it all and move it away from her face, her eyes were fixated on Midorima's broad back retreating towards the hotel. Gaping, she let his words sink in. Did he mean that she was always dependable, or that she was always the type to be left alone?

"Oh, and one more thing." Midorima's voice filled her senses again. Looking up, Mia saw him digging in his panda bag for something. The way his large hand was stuffed in its zipper mouth weirded the girl out slightly.

"Here." Before she knew it, a small light flew across the space between the two. Mia caught it with ease, but the sudden cool feeling of metal in her hand made her heart skip a beat. "I believe you were looking for this."

The familiar shape of her four leaf clover keychain appeared in her palm once she got a good look. Midorima must've picked it up when it fell out of her jacket.

'That must've been how he found out about me.' She thought.

"However, I recommend that you do not keep that item, Takagi." The male instructed.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"It is not your lucky item. But, if you still want it, you can have it."

Nostalgia hitting her like a ton of bricks, Mia smiled at the memory where those words were taken from. The garden, the four leaf clover, the first time she had ever skipped class...and the punishment she got for that day. It all came rushing back to her.

"I see. Thank you Midorima-kun." She recited. However, it was too late.

Midorima Shintarou was already walking back to the hotel.

* * *

She had lost him by the time she reached the small, run down building.

Mia was actually quite happy to be rid of her past for the time being. She didn't know how much longer her heart would have lasted if she had to walk with Midorima the entire way. But, now she was in another predicament.

How the hell was she going to sneak back in without anyone noticing her?

The last thing she remembered was messing up her and Riko's room before storming off without even a note. And hour or so had gone by since then and with her now dead phone, Mia could only imagine the amount of unanswered phone calls she had received from the coach. Oh boy, was this going to be fun.

Deciding it was best to start from the back, Mia slowly slid open the door, trying her best not to make too much noise while doing so. She took off her shoes quickly and quietly, then began tip toeing down the wooden hallway. Annoying as it was, she had to be careful with all of the creaky and old floorboards on the ground.

Once she finally managed to reach the corner, Mia plastered herself against the wall. She had finally reached one of the most difficult parts of the hotel. The it was late and most likely no one was bathing in there, but there was always a chance the janitor would come out from his cleaning duties, catching Mia in the act of sneaking around past curfew and escorting her to her room to be nice. Of course, that seemed wonderful but it would also keep her in plain sight, a perfect target for Aida Riko's manager hunt.

"Carefully." Mia whispered to herself as she shimmied down the hall. "Carefully. Carefully. Carefully."

The sudden flap of the bathhouse curtains, indicating that someone was leaving the facility, caught the girl's attention. Jerking her head around, Mia's nose contacted with a large, hard wallow muscle.

"AHHHH!" She cried out, jumping back and holding her small nose.

"WAHHH!" An equally terrified voice shouted. The familiar roughness and low tone made Mia perk up from her now red nose and stare back at the tiger himself in astonishment.

"Oh, it's just you." Said Kagami a little too loudly, "Wait, didn't you die?"

"Shhhhhh!" Panicking and with no other options, the small human quickly kicked the giant basketball player in the shin, his entire body automatically crouching over in pain.

"Ow! What the he-?"

"Shut up for a minute." Mia warned, covering Taiga's mouth with her hand and placing a finger over her own lips. Making so that their foreheads touched, the dark haired female gazed intensely into Kagami's own dark amber eyes until his head nodded in understanding.

"Great! Now come with me."

"Eh?"

Before he could even ask his first question, Mia grabbed Kagami's wrist and dragged him with her down the hall. It was obvious that her plan for keeping things quiet was a complete bust as the two ran heavily down the long corridor. It was like a maze, and finally, when she gave up on trying to find the correct way back to their rooms, Mia slowed down to a stop.

"What the hell?" She panted, looking around for a map or at least some indication on where they were. She hadn't really stepped out of her room for anything except going to the bathroom, so it was understandable.

The sudden thump of a heavy weight landing on the floor alarmed Mia's senses and, after peering over her shoulder, she saw the beast on his hand and knees on the floor. His ragged breaths and pants made her realize that the man was, in fact, sweating profusely, his wrist slipping out of her grasp.

"Woah, Tiger! What happened to you?!"

"I've been running all day." He answered in between breaths, "I'm exhausted. More importantly...why the fuck... did you drag me with you?"

"Because you've caught me in the middle of a crime of course." The fact that she crouched down just to tell him that with a straight face pissed him off more than running.

"WHAT CRIME?!"

"Staying out past curfew."

"I still don't see why you had to drag me with you. If you wanted me to keep a secret then just tell me."

"I thought I was helping you out too. Aren't the baths closed at this time?"

She may have imagined it, but Mia could've sworn that a single tear fell down Kagami's cheek after mentioning the closing time for the baths.

"Yeah, they did. I was on my way back to the room when you just showed up."

"Ah."

"Speaking of which, why are you out so late? Coach said you didn't feel well."

Flinching, Mia looked down at her sneakers. Hugging her legs tightly, she tried to find the right words to explain what had just happened to her, the right words to simply say why she left.

"Yeah, I lied."

Found them.

"Wha-?!"

"Look, can we just drop it for now, please?" Mia pleaded, looking back at Kagami with eyes that told him she was serious.

"Fine." He huffed in return. Ruffling his drenched head, he sat up on the floor and closed his eyes. "Well is obvious that you don't know your way around the hotel yet. I'll help us get back, just give me a minute."

Goggling at Kagami like a little kid, Mia watched as he brought his arms over his head, stretching the sore muscles with such intensity that a loud groan escaped his lips. He really did seem exhausted with all of that running.

Suddenly remembering that there was a vending machine around the corner the duo just passed by, the girl excused herself. She trotted the short distance until she found the large machine full of different beverages, delighting herself, that she was actually able to find something.

"Ah. Wait a minute." She stopped herself as she dug inside her pockets.

She didn't bring any money with her...

 _'Now what?'_ Mia questioned herself, placing her fingers on her chin as she glared at the sports drink she had her eyes on. 100¥ and she had none of that on her.

 _"Okay, Mia, watch closely. I'm gonna teach you something that will come in handy later on in your life."_ She remembered her gold ol' Aunt Roxanne instruct her when she was younger.

 _"Crouch down, like you're ready to fight. This is a battle we must win. Place your dominant foot behind the other, keep your eyes on your target. Then...ATTACK!"_

 _Kick_

 _BANG_

 _Plunk_

 _"Works every time!"_

 _"Aunt Roxy I don't see why I have to know this. Why not just pay like normal?"_

 _"Sometimes you won't have money, Dearie, that's why."_

At least she was right about that.

"Dominant foot behind the other, keep your eyes on your target. Then..."

* * *

"Shin-chan?"

Midorima looked up as his name was called by none other than Takao. He had managed to walk back to his room without being caught. In fact, the whole area where Shutokuu was staying at was quiet. His guess was that everyone was out looking for him.

"You're lucky you weren't caught, Shin-chan." Takao laughed as the taller male slid the door closed. It seemed that he was the only one who didn't go out searching for him. "All of the senpais were severe pissed off when the coach forced them all to go search for you."

"Impossible, Takao." Midorima's counterattacked "My luck is flawless. There's no way I could be caught that easily."

"Why were you even gone in the first place? Couldn't whatever you went out to do have waited until tomorrow?" Suddenly perking his head at the new theory he just came up with, Takao smirked wickedly towards the megane. "Could it be a girl?"

The now frozen teen listened closely to his partner who was now laughing widely at the mere thought of Midorima having a girl to sneak out to.

"Oh how I would love to see that! What kind of girl would she be like? Smart, maybe even a little quirky. I mean, if she was dating you, Shin-chan, then she would have to be weird herself. Oh gosh, I would love to meet that kind of girl!"

"You stay away from her!" Midorima growled before he could even stop himself. Silence reigned over the small room filled with large futons and orange bags. Not even Takao, who was usually loud on a daily basis, could make a sound after what he just heard. He did hear him right, right?

"You-" He began, his black eyes widening "No way! It's actually true?!"

The quiet and defeated form of Midorima answered his question.

"NO WAY!"

"Takao!"

"Now I really to meet this girl! Who is she? Does she work here? Wait, no! She doesn't go to Seirin does she? She does doesn't she?!"

"Takao." Midorima warned, turning around to grab the male's shirt collar and bring him up so that their noses touched. "Don't go messing with her."

Although, it was hard to stay serious when one of them held a panda bag on their back and the other was continuously cackling.

"Tch. Whatever." The giant scoffed before letting go of the teen and dragging his feet towards his futon.

Fixing his white shirt, Takao grinned evilly at Midorima's broad back. Things just got a little interesting for him...

* * *

"Here." Mia's voice filled Kagami's ears, and when he looked over from his spot at the wall his cheek ended up pressing against something large and cold.

"What the?!" He jumped with a hand on the side of his face.

"What?" The girl asked. In her hand she held a large blue sports drink. The same one, in fact, that Kagami bought the first day she met. He wondered if she remembered that small detail or if was just a coincidence. Actually, why the heck was he thinking about that in the first place.

"How did you get that?"

"From a vending machine?" Her face scrunched up in worry, "People can get drinks from there nowadays you know."

"I know that! I'm talking about how you got it. I didn't know you carried your wallet on you."

"I didn't." Mia said proudly once Kagami grabbed the bottle from her small hands. "I kicked the machine until this came out of it."

"What?!"

"I kicked it." She repeated, this time with her hands on her hips and a small sparkle gleamed from her eyes. "A while back my aunt taught me how to get a free drink from the vending machine if I had no money on me. I never thought that I would actually use that skill, though."

"What kind of person teaches kids how to get free drinks like that?" Taiga gaped as Mia began to shine from her victory.

"The crazy kind." She answers, "Also the kind who eats lots of powdered donuts when stressed out."

The two began to walk down the hall at their own leisurely pace, unlike how they were weaving through the hotel several minutes ago. Like he promised, the redhead led Mia down the corridor towards the rooms Seirin was occupying during their stay. However, it seemed like the two refused to talk to one another, like they had nothing to say to each other anyway even if they did.

 _'It's always hard to start a conversation with him without Tetsuya.'_ Mia complained in her head. Looking up at Kagami's back, she watched as, even with his shirt on, his muscles flexed with every long stride of his legs. It should really be illegal to have a body as well defined as this.

 _'Muscles has increased by at least 2%. He's obviously experiencing some extreme sore spots especially in his legs. Speaking of which, his legs seem to have a 5% improvement. What exactly has everyone been doing while I was gone?'_ The girl thought, calculating her percentages she never got to write down for two days. _'Well whatever it is, I'm sure it's for a good reason.'_

 _"There was no such thing as you doing something without a perfectly good reason."_

Mia slowed down her pace at the sudden memory. Was that really how everyone thought of her back then? Did they still think that way now? These and many other unanswered questions swam around the girl's head, making her body rigid and stiff with doubt.

"Oi, what's wrong?" Kagami asked once he noticed that the female had stopped walking completely, her dejected face looking at nothing in particular. The last time the basketball player saw her like this was the day all of the first years played a practice game, after she was kicked out of the school gym for disturbing the team with her declarations of cutting her hair for the manager positions. Although not the first time, it was still odd to see her make such a face.

"Hey," Mia began, this time actually looking at Kagami, "Do you think of me as a dependable person?"

"No." He answered immediately. Stunned, Mia stumbled forwards as if a ton of weights just suddenly fell on her. Talk about harsh.

"Then you just think of me as someone who should be left alone?"

Confused as to what she was trying to say, the tiger raised one split eyebrow at the seemingly hurt girl in front of him, "Who said anything about that?"

"Eh?"

"Just because I don't think you're dependable doesn't mean that you should be left alone. What I'm trying to say is that you do your own thing on the team. We all do. By no means will you be left alone, even if you wanted to."

Mouth slightly ajar and blue eyes widened until the whites encircled the entire iris, Mia watched as Kagami casually took another giant gulp of his beverage, oblivious that what he just said just mended a small bit of her broken heart. By the time he was finally aware of her gaze, Mia was pretty sure her jaw had reached the floor.

"Woah, Tiger!"

"What?"

"You're actually smart!"

"... _What_?"

"Yeah! I do my own thing don't I? Don't I, Tiger?"

"Shut up! Don't go repeating what I said willy nilly!" Kagami's cheeks slowly burned crimson at Mia's laughter towards his words. She couldn't help it. It didn't fit him at all.

"Forget it! You can find the rooms on your own!" The victim huffed, his feet marching away from the laughing girl behind him in a fit of fury.

"W-Wait! Tiger, don't leave me!" Mia called. Rushing back over to her large escort, she held her hands together behind her back and began to have a slight skip in her step as she walked next to him. "So tell me, why exactly _were_ you running all day? Was it a special regime that Riko-senpai gave the team today?"

"Pff, I wish." Taiga answered. It seemed like they finally found the momentum they needed to keep a conversation going. "We were all gathered up in the gym to have a practice match against Shutokuu when the coach pulled me aside and forced me to go get drinks for everyone at the nearest convenience store."

"Eh?! But that's 500 meters away!"

"Yeah she knew that. She didn't care either."

Opening her mouth, Mia was about to say something else, but quickly she shut it as realization crossed her features. Not bothered by the sudden loss his neighbor, Kagami pressed on. Nonetheless, the young teen stared at his legs, watching as the tan limbs moved back and forth with each step. There was a reason for his increase in leg strength, and Mia was pretty sure she just found it.

"Look, the rooms are right there." said Taiga as he pointed to the various doors at the end of the hallway. The unexpected burden clutching his left calf made the teen blanch and almost cause he to fall forward onto his face.

"O-Oi!" He shouted at Mia who had dived for his legs and was now on her stomach examining the appendage before her. Pressing her fingers around the muscle, she hummed whenever she felt an area that had either improved or that still needed improvement. Either way, she came up with one conclusion. Kagami's gonna have one hell of a jumping power.

"Riko-senpai's a genius!" Mia said in admiration, her eyes twinkling at the new discovery of such a workout. She had to write it in her notebook immediately!

"Good, now can you please _let go_ of my leg!" Kagami instructed, harshly trying to jerk his limb away from the excited female , but to no avail. In the end, the giant settled with dragging her small frame with him as he continued heading towards the doors of the Seirin basketball team's rooms.

"She's beautiful! She's smart! A genius I tell you!"

"Enough!"

"Takagi Mia!" A high voice screeched, the sound echoing down the hallway. Surprised, both freshman looked towards the direction of its origin only to find their coach, Aida Riko, standing in the doorway of the female's room. Her eyes were ablaze and burning with a fiery passion that Kagami was pretty sure could kill them if they didn't do something soon.

"Ah! Riko-senpai!" Mia exclaimed, finally letting go of Kagami's leg as she caught sight of her current inspiration. "Amazing! There's something that I need to tell you!"

"Oh? What a coincidence." Kagami gulped loudly when he saw Riko's expression quickly turn from vexation and fury, to flowery and lighthearted. Stomping over towards them, he promptly plastered himself against the wall away from the second year, and held in his breath as she hovered over Mia's body still on the floor.

"And would you look at that." She continued, her smile growing wider, "You're already in the correct position for me to 'talk'."

"Eh?"

"YOU BRAT!"

Instantly, Riko sat on Mia's body facing the opposite direction and pulled her legs over her in a way that even gymnasts wouldn't be able to do, popping a few placing here and there.

"AHHHHHHHH!" She screamed in agony. She was never all that flexible in the first place, but now it didn't even look like she would be able to stand after this.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU LEAVE THE ROOM WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING?!" Riko scolded loudly, pulling her legs even further to emphasize her point.

"I'M SORRY!"

"ALSO, WHY DID YOU LEAVE YOUR PHONE OFF?! DON'T YOU KNOW YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO CHARGE IT AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!"

"I'M SORRY!"

"YOU ALSO WASTED FOOD BOUGHT WITH THE CLUB'S MONEY! I DON'T CARE IF IT'S COLD NOW, YOU'RE STILL GONNA EAT IT!"

"I'M SORRY!"

"What the hell is going on here?" Hyuga asked as he opened the door to the men's room. The group of players heard the commotion outside and began to wonder if someone was getting murdered. When they only saw that it was their coach and their no longer missing manager-in-training, they all sighed in relief.

"Oh, it's just Riko."

"Just the coach."

"Someone go tell Kuroko that Takagi is fine."

"I'm right here."

"WOAH!"

"Are legs supposed to bend like that?"

"Oi, Kagami." The redhead flinched at the use of his name but quickly calmed down when it was only his captain. "Get inside before she decides to take her anger out on you too."

"Y-Yeah."

"Wait!" Mia managed to voice out. Reaching her hand out she looked at Kagami with eyes full of tears, attempting to try and make him come save her. "T-Tiger...save me..."

 _'I'm sorry, Takagi. But sacrifices must be made.'_

Without looking back, Kagami shut the door on Mia, the girl whining when she heard the soft thump of the frame.

"T-Traitor."

That was how Takagi Mia fell asleep on the second day of Seirin's Training Camp from Hell.

* * *

 **Phew! Wrote this in a day and now I'm tired! Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites! Keep them coming! I love hearing what you guys have to say!**


	13. The Beginnings of a New Sunrise IV

**Hello all! It's been a while! I hope I haven't lost all of my groove just yet! ENJOY~!**

* * *

The sun rose up the next day, welcoming a bright and blazing hot third day of training camp. The seagulls flew by the hotel swiftly, blissfully enjoying the weather and the ocean waves smoothly crashed down upon one another in a single motion that can only be described as beautiful.

However, the poor basketball players taking refuge from the temperatures of Japan outside woke up to pounding heads, screaming muscles and an equally screaming coach ordering them all to "get their asses out of bed". From the very moment they woke up they clearly understood their fate of eating several large meals in the morning before throwing it all up as they played the sport of their dreams, only to have to repeat the cycle until Riko was satisfied.

"Excuse me. Toilet..."

"Kuroko, if you throw up, it's one more bowl."

It was truly a training camp from hell.

* * *

She was lost...again.

'I swear to whatever God is out there that I'm cursed.' Mia thought as she looked back and forth from the direction she had come from to the split paths in front of her, trying to decide if it was a good idea to turn around or to take more risks.

Reaching for her phone in her skirt pocket, she felt her hand brush against the small clover keychain which hung from the mobile device as a phone strap now. She had taken the time to convert the little item so that she wouldn't lose it again as it was getting to be a pain to look for it every time it fell from her bag or her pocket.

"Lucky my ass." She mumbled, pulling the phone up so that her narrowed blue eyes were level to the glittering green trinket. "I bet you're the reason why I'm always running into trouble lately."

"Ummm..." A voice chuckled from the sidelines, putting the black haired girl on high alert as she quickly stuffed her phone back into her pocket and tucked an invisible strand of hair behind her ear. It was as if nothing happened.

Too bad he saw everything,

"Excuse me!" Mia walked over to the male with a kind smile on her face. She noticed his muscles protruding from both his sleeveless shirt and gym shorts, indicating that this wasn't just some normal hotel resident. His black hair parted in the middle of his forehead with some strands hanging loose and his pale gray eyes stared back at Mia with amusement. He wasn't much taller than Kuroko, but he still seemed to tower over her like an animal.

Like a hawk.

"You're...a basketball player, right?" She asked, suddenly wary.

"Oh? How'd you guess?"

"You just have that presence about you."

"Presence?!" Without even a warning, the male doubled over laughing, shocking Mia. His voice echoed around the area even though the two were outside and, to her, made the palm trees shake and quake. It was some reaction.

"Y-Yes?" She was afraid that speaking would interrupt the stranger into more hysterical fits, but was quite worried for his health if he kept laughing that way. "I was wondering if you could direct me into the direction of the gym."

"Are you serious?!" He cackled, holding his stomach when he straightened himself up "The gym is just around the corner from the hotel. Only a fool would get lost from that short distance."

Okay, screw being worried. The man can just drop dead for all she cared.

"Well, I was sick and in bed for the past two days so I haven't been able to get a good tour of either the hotel or the beach." Mia said, a tick forming on her forehead. "So it's not exactly my fault if I'm a fool."

"I got it." As if a button was pressed or a switch was flipped, the teen automatically quit his laughter and talked with a normal tone of voice. If it wasn't for the evil smirk that was still plastered on his face, Mia would've thought that it was all of her imagination.

"I'm heading to the gym right now so I'll show you the way. Just make sure you don't forget later on."

"That won't be a problem." She insisted, her grip tightening on her notebook as she heard him snickering ahead of her.

Mia made sure that she fell in step next to the stranger, but kept her distance just in case he ended up becoming some sort of serial killer. You never knew. With all that laughter he just emitted, he might as well be the joker.

"The name's Takao, by the way." He spoke without really looking in her direction, "Takao Kazunari. What's yours?"

"None of your business."

"Woah. A little feisty aren't we?"

"I'm not being feisty." She denied "I'm just reacting like a normal human being. I mean, who the heck laughs at a person like that?"

"Sorry sorry." Takao giggled, clearly amused by the way she was acting towards him. Was everything amusing to this man? "It was just so funny I couldn't help myself!"

"I don't see the humor."

"So why do you need to get to a gym full of sweaty basketball players?" He asked, ignoring the previous statement made by the annoyed girl.

"I came here with Seirin High School. Some of those "sweaty basketball players" are actually my teammates."

"Wait, you're from Seirin?" Takao asked. His sudden halt forced Mia to look over her shoulder at him, confused.

"Yes." Was all she said as his eyes widened. But, just as quickly, those gray orbs returned to their mischievous stare, making her wonder whether or not it even happened.

"Heh~"

"...what?"

"Nothing." He answered, the skip in his step returning as he continued walking. "So tell me, are there any other females here with you besides that coach?"

"Besides Riko-senpai? Not that I know of."

"Is that so?" The way his smirk crept up and turned into a nasty little grin made Mia more and more cautious as time passed between the two. He seemed nice. Irritating, but harmless nonetheless. So how the hell was she supposed to handle his sudden interest in both her team and especially her?

"Here we are!" Takao's voice rang loudly in Mia's ears, bringing her attention back to reality. Looking up at where "here" was, she saw a rather large building with windows on all sides to allow the sunlight to shine through. Although it was big, it was honestly not as big as the gym that their school held. In fact, it only held one gym. That must've been the main reason why there were two teams stretching instead of just one.

"Since I'm with Shutoku, this is where we will part ways." Her companion announced, climbing up the steps towards the open doors, his shoes squeaking against the shining floors. "Hope to see you again..."

"...Takagi Mia." She answered reluctantly.

"Hope to see you again Takagi-chan!" Immediately Takao's grin broke out into a large and genuine smile, confusing the girl even more on how she was supposed to treat him. An enemy? A stranger? An acquaintance?

"Takao." A familiar and low voice called, making both teens whip their heads towards the tall shooting guard marching his way over to them.

"Ah, Shin-chan!" The hawk eyed male greeted. He seemed very unaware of the menacing aura surrounding Midorima's body and filling his usually green eyes. That, or he just chose to ignore it all.

"Coach is calling for you." Midorima growled, never looking at Mia personally.

"Really? Ok, I'll be right there. I was just saying bye to Takagi-ch-!"

Without warning, Midorima wrapped his arm around Takao's neck and began dragging him roughly away from the female and towards their team. The sounds of choked protests were all Mia could hear from the duo as she stared at Shintarou's retreating figure.

It was obvious why he wouldn't give her the time of day. Why should he have to? She did her part and talked to him. He did his part and asked her questions, even if it was just one. They were done with each other.

So why did it pain her to see him leave without saying anything?

"Takagi-san!"

The unexpected presence of her coach appeared beside Mia, making her jump on the spot and almost drop her notebook. Taken aback by the reaction, Riko's pink whistle fell from her mouth and she too jumped back slightly.

"What's with you?" She asked. "I'm not Kuroko so you don't have to jump like that."

* * *

The sound of a muffled tuba note resonated through Seirin's small stretching corner, causing several players to look up in confusion.

"Uh...what was that?" Hyuuga asked, slightly disturbed.

"Excuse me. That was me. I just sneezed." Kuroko answered, rubbing the bottom of his nose with his forefinger.

"WAHH! When did you get there?!"

"I was always here."

"Well tell us these things! And what kind of sneeze was that anyway?!"

"Eh?"

* * *

"I didn't think that you would actually come today." Riko continued. Both girls ignored the commotion going on with their team behind them as they were pretty sure it was over something stupid again. "Or that you would actually wear your uniform."

Looking down, Mia wiped her hands on her white skirt, making sure that there weren't any wrinkles or stains on the pearly white clothing. With summer currently blazing around the country, it was time for their school's summer uniform. Just like her senpai, Mia wore a white short sleeved sailor uniform with a light green sash hanging down her front. Her long midnight black hair hung tightly on her head in a high ponytail, the tips reaching the middle of her back rather than lower. It wasn't anything new to be wearing her uniform since she wore it all the time at school, but it was indeed her first time wearing it during the training camp.

"I decided to actually try and prove my worth to become Seirin's manager." Mia declared. Her deep blue eyes shined with the same determined spark of fire Riko saw the first time she asked for the position, intriguing the coach as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Oh? So are you saying that you haven't been trying for this job yet?"

"No. I have been trying. I just haven't at the same time." The intriguing feeling Riko had quickly disappeared and the coach began to stare at Mia like she was going crazy.

"To other people, it would look like I was trying, but to be honest, I wasn't trying at all. Making calculations, strategies, and knowing people's abilities were all things that came naturally to me. Technically it was work, but since it was so easy for me to do it, it just felt like nothing but a chore. Even when I was in America and wasn't involved in basketball I made those same calculations. I guess you could say that it was because of that that I only managed to receive a black eye and I torn ligament. If I never had this ability, I may have ended up like that stupid junior and gotten bruised ribs and a concussion."

"You gave someone a _concussion_?" Midorima's dark aura was nothing compared to the roaring shadows escaping Riko's body at that moment.

"Anyway! Calculations just come to me, so proving that I have at least some worth is no big deal. However, I now realize that it was my involvement with the team that mattered the most. I talk with Tiger and Tetsuya, yes, but I don't converse about my strategies or about my numbers with really anyone else. Especially you, Riko-senpai, the coach of the team."

Lifting her arms towards the senior girl in front of her, Mia handed her thin notebook towards Riko, never turning her head or looking down as she did so. Riko's eyes widened slightly at the gesture and looked back up at the girl to make sure that she truly knew what she was doing.

"That's why, I'll be giving this to you to look at today." She finished, thrusting her notebook at her coach gently when she didn't move at first.

"Are you sure about this?" Riko asked, "You were pretty confident in yourself when you said you didn't think I should see."

"Yeah, but only because that's what I'm used to. No one really asked to see my numbers in Teiko. They just...left it to me. Besides, everything in there was meant for you anyway."

Hesitant at first, the brown haired girl took hold of the notebook with both hands and brought it up closer to see the name "Takagi Mia" written neatly and elegantly in the top right corner. There was nothing special about the small book, nothing extraordinary or flashy. There wasn't even a title on the front. It was just a normal looking and plain black notebook.

"WELL THEN!" Mia announced, startling Riko out of her daze as she looked at the underclassman in surprise. Giving her a thumbs up and using her right hand to salute her senior, the young manager-in-training leaned towards the Seirin team in an attempt to escape the awkwardness between them. "I should go and fill up everyone's water bottles like a good manager! After all, they're all gonna need it in another grueling training camp!"

With that, the raven haired girl skipped towards the team, leaving the coach in a state of disbelief with her black notebook still held tightly in her hands. It was one thing to be refused the right to look through the pages of Takagi Mia's book, but now that she was actually given permission, she felt a little scared at what lay beyond the black cover.

* * *

"Good morning, everyone!" Mia greeted over enthusiastically, scaring a few men as she walked up behind them in their stretching. Some of them nodded and grunted in return while others waved nervously, remembering the disaster that happened the night before.

"Sup!"

"How's it going?"

"Mia-san, it's actually the afternoon." Teppei corrected. His gentle smile never left his face as he approached the smaller freshman.

"Really?!" She asked, shocked. She knew she woke up late thanks to the "love" Riko gave her last night but she never thought she took that long. On the bright side, her bed head wasn't as bad as it was previously.

"So what are you up to today, Mia-san? You seem quite excited."

"No not really." She dead panned, still smiling like an idiot. "I'm just trying to become a good manager. It's really hard, surprisingly."

"Well, being good at something always takes hard work."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Sorry for not being born with monster abilities like you." Hyuuga grunted from his spot on the floor, allowing Izuki to push down on his back while he stretched out his arms in front of him. "You're just going to have to do it the way we 'normal' people do it for a while."

"'Normal', huh?" Mia hummed. She knew it wasn't meant as a compliment, but no matter what, she couldn't help the smile that formed on her face.

"Well! I'm gonna go refill these water bottles for you guys." She declared, picking up the large tray of yellow bottles with ease. Other players gratefully placed their own bottles in the tray to have them refilled, patting Mia on the shoulder or on top of her head as she passed by them. It was as if they were each telling her 'Good luck'. It filled the girl with a new found emotion in her chest, making her chuckle softly.

"Oi, if you keep smiling like that, your face is going to freeze."

Stopping suddenly in her tracks, Mia's curious eyes peered to her side to see Kagami and Kuroko walking towards her with their own bottles in hand.

"Tetsuya! Tiger!" Mia greeted happily as she held out the tray for them to place their things in. "Good morning! Er, I mean, afternoon."

"Good afternoon, Mia." Kuroko greeted back, a small smile playing on his features as he watched his friend's face twist into a rather uncomfortable pout at having to remember to say afternoon instead.

"Did you get enough sleep last night?"

"I'm pretty sure I did. I mean, technically, I was just unconscious the whole time, but I don't feel tired at all. So I guess it all turned out okay?" Mia caught the look of pain cross Kagami's face as he remembered the painful position Mia was in the night before, but caught herself before she asked what was wrong. In all honesty she didn't want to remember those painful moments either.

"Alright everyone! Gather around!" Riko's voice called from the other side of the gym. It seemed like it was already time for yet another practice match against Shuutoku.

"I guess I'll leave you two to your training." Said Mia as she turned to head back outside the gym, the red and teal haired males going about their way as well. "Oh, Tiger wait!"

Kagami turned back around questioningly at the sudden call of his name, letting Kuroko go on ahead as Mia came jogging back towards him. He braced himself for any more of the girl's strange actions and grimaced slightly when she gestured for him to lean down closer to her level.

"Between you and me," she whispered in his ear, "I think it would be best if you prepared for some more running today rather than some actual gameplay."

"What? Why?"

"Something tells me that Riko-senpai isn't quite done with her own personal regime she's created for you." And with that, Mia waved a tiny goodbye to the red haired giant before jogging merrily out of the gym to pursue her manager duties, leaving a stunned Kagami standing at an odd angle, alone.

* * *

"Hmmmm~? Looks like Takagi-chan and that Kagami are on good terms." Takao commented after watching the "friendly" exchange between the two teenagers take place. He bounced the ball they were to use in the practice match next to him as he looked at his partner through the corner of his eye.

"Shut up, Takao." Came the usual response from Midorima. "Whatever Takagi-san does has nothing to do with you."

"Heh~?" The raven haired male chuckled. He tossed the ball to their coach who would be the one to throw it into the game and observed as Kagami was summoned by Seirin's coach for something.

Takao's sly grin never faltered as the ball was tossed into the air and the tip off commenced the game.

* * *

"Phew!" Mia sighed, wiping sweat from her forehead. She had only been out in the sun for about 5 minutes, and not only was she barely even halfway through filling all the water bottles, she was already starting to sweat bullets.

"Maybe I should fill up Shuutoku's bottles as well." She mumbled to herself, "it doesn't seem like they have a manager to do that."

Quickly and unexpectedly, the loud bang of the gym door being pushed open, followed by the footsteps of someone coming toward her, startled the young girl, and she looked just in time to see the familiar tan muscles of Kagami zooming past her in a full sprint. Suddenly all giddy and excited, Mia cupped her mouth and shouted after the male.

"I really like lemonade, Tiger!" She called, already knowing where Riko had sent him off to.

"SHUT UP!" His voice shouted back, making Mia laugh out loud at his frustration before turning back to her work.

"Alright! Tiger and everyone else are doing their best, so I've got to do mine!" She encouraged herself, filling the bottles with determination.

Once she was finally finished with the first set of bottles, after standing out in the heat for 15 minutes, she went back into the air conditioned gym to grab Shuutoku's set. The moment she stepped back into that gym, however, a wave of intense nostalgia hit her entire senses. The smell of sweat from the players, the squeaks of shoes running across the gym, and a player from the generation of miracles making countless shots from halfway down the court.

Mia's blue eyes widened at Midorima's form and the movements he made even before the ball made it through the net, as if he knew it would make it every time. Which it always did. Not only that, but the actions of his other teammates astounded her even more. Not only were they strong opponents, but they seemed to be able to match Midorima's pace perfectly, no matter how erratic and surprising it was.

"out of 110%, physical ability is at 105.63%, technique is at 109.7%, stamina is at 103.43%, mental strength is at 107.564% and his special ability, shooting, is at 112.27%?!" The girl recited her calculations in dismay, her mouth hanging open from the improvement that Midorima had made in such a short amount of time. Slowly, Mia's breathing started to become a little irregular, and as a distraction, she moved her gaze towards the teenager who had shown her the way here, Takao.

"Out of 100%, physical ability is at 87.569%, technique is at, 89.7%, stamina is at 78.99%, mental strength is at 79.5%, and his special ability, passing, is at 93.46%. Not bad."

"Takagi-san?" Riko called questioningly. Mia had been standing there watching the practice match for some time now without so much as moving and it was kind of creeping the coach out a little. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh...yeah, I'm great!" Mia insisted, holding up the container of water bottles. "I was just about to go fill up shuutoku's bottles since I finished with our team's.

"Really? I'm sure they would appreciate that."

"Alright, then I'll be off again!" Setting down the first batch of bottles on the gym floor, Mia scurried over to their opponents side and snatched up all of their water bottles as well, with the permission of their coach. Riko watched her quick speed in awe and raised an eyebrow at her retreating figure as she went back out into the summer heat.

"...what a strange girl."

* * *

"Hah...hah...excuse me!" Kagami panted as the little bell for the store echoed in his presence.

"Oh! It's the team player from yesterday!" A middle aged man greeted from behind the counter. He was fairly short and gray and white hairs see already starting to grow in his beard and hair. He tapped his cigarette a couple of times in his little ashtray before placing the cylindrical object back in the spot in between his smiling lips. "Did you forget something, young man?"

"I was told to get more drinks for everyone." The teenager explained quickly, trying his best to absorb as much of the much needed AC as he possibly could.

"Well that may be tough since you almost cleared out all of my sports drinks, but I may have more in storage." Getting up from his stool the old man gestured towards the refrigerated drinks, "go ahead and pay for the drinks and start taking whatever it is you need. My the time you come and get the ones I'm about to pull out, they'll all be nice and fresh for your team."

"Thank you so much!" Kagami said wholeheartedly. He dug in his pockets for the money Riko had given him to pay for the drinks and started to help himself as he dug through the fridges. He was only aloud to take two at a time, much to his dismay, so he decided to find his captain's and Kiyoshi's drinks first out of all of them. Those Shuutoku bastards could stay last for all he cared.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, a sparkling beverage caught his eye. It was a completely normal bottle, but compared to the manly lot of the sports drinks, it looked the fanciest of them all. With its translucent container and pretty label, the golden yellow liquid of lemonade seemed almost too good to just look at from afar.

"Tch, whatever." The redhead mumbled as he turned from the fridges and headed back towards the gym.

* * *

"Uuuuahhhh~" the ebony haired girl sighed in relief as she stretched out her slightly sore muscles from all of her work today. If her body was aching after only handling large loads today, then she could hardly fathom how much the boys were handling right now.

"10% of them are most likely handling most of the pain in their legs and shoulders while 67% are handling the pain in both the legs, arms, and abdomen areas." She answered herself with a grin. She had no idea that training would be...fun.

"Oh? Takagi-san, is that you?" Riko's voice sounded from the room next to her. Mia looked over and realized that it must've been a shortcut to the kitchen as she heard the different clanks of silverware and kitchen tools echoing into the hallway.

"Ah, Riko-senpai, I was just pondering on how much the boys will be impro-!"

Mia cut short upon entering the questionable smelling gallery, and pinched her nose as a putrid smell began to evade her senses. Looking around rapidly, she saw colorful powder dusting the counters thoroughly as well as whole vegetables being tossed into a large pot. Not only that, but it seemed like the rice doing was emitting some sort of black smoke as it hadn't been attended to in a long while. In the midst of it all, Riko was whistling as she stirred some pills into the large pot with the rest of the mixture.

"R-Riko-senpai! W-W-W-W-What are you doing?!" Mia cried out in a weird tone as she held her fingers on her nose. Unfortunately, it made the situation for her even worse as she was forced to taste the concoction instead.

"Making dinner?" Riko answered innocently. The younger girl watched in horror as she added even more pills into the pot before jumping forward and grabbing the wooden spoon in her hands.

"I think you should let me handle dinner tonight, Riko-senpai." She laughed nervously. "You still need to go over everything that happened at today's practice. Not just for our team, but for Shuutoku as well!"

"Hmmmmmm," Riko placed her thumb and forefinger on her chin, pondering the suggestion with no suspicion whatsoever. In fact, the only one suspicious would have to be Mia as she noticed the broth was starting to take on a sort of monstrous face.

"Yeah. You know, I didn't finish looking over your notebook you gave me today."

"Then I suggest that you do so immediately!" Mia encouraged. Quickly she helped Riko out of her apron and bandana and hastily pushed her out of the kitchen area. "So why don't you leave the food to me tonight. And how about tomorrow too? Heck, why not just leave breakfast lunch and dinner to me for the rest of the camp? I promise I'll make sure all the boys, including Shuutoku get the proper nutrients and calories they need to grow healthier. So you just do what you need to do, Riko-Senpai!"

Once she made sure that her senpai was completely out of the galley, Mia turned back towards the door and faced Riko.

"Well then, dinner is supposed to be ready in about an hour so I better get started!"

"Wait, Taka-!"

Before she allowed her to finish, the young teenager slammed the kitchen door shut in front of her. Heaving a long sigh, Mia looked back at the disaster Riko had made in under 30 minutes and huffed in determination as she popped her knuckles and went to work.

As if it were a race, she dumped out the contents in the pot and soaked the remaining gunk in soapy water before throwing out the burnt rice and starting over again. She sponged up the counters to clear off any protein residue then finished cleaning the pot in the sink so that she may set it back on the stove.

Lastly, she grabbed the white apron Riko had been using and threw it over her pale pink shirt and blue jean shorts. Doing the same thing with the triangle bandana, she moved most of her black bangs away from her face and re tied her long hair into a low pony tail.

"Okay. Let's do this." It had been a long time since Mia had made curry, but she at least knew the recipe for it. There was always a high chance that whatever she made, it would be way better than what her coach was about to make.

"Honestly," she groaned, "things would be a lot easier if everyone could cook like Tiger."

* * *

"THIS IS SO GOOD!"

Boys gobbled hungrily at their food, the sets clearing before Mia could even finish serving them all. It didn't matter if they were from Shuutoku or Seirin, everyone seemed to be able to finished their multiethnic servings without complaint unlike this morning.

"Seconds!"

"We need thirds over here!"

"Alright, hold on one moment, please!" Mia called over all the cheers of men and plate clattering, "There's only one of me and about sixty of you!"

"More!"

"Ugh!"

"Hmph! You guys never acted this way when I cooked yesterday." Riko mumbled as she played with the curry on her own plate. The small complaint didn't go unnoticed by the captain of Seirin's team.

"Eh? So you didn't cook this, Riko? Hyuuga asked surprised. The surrounding upperclassmen at their table all looked up in equal shock at the news, their eyes all asking the same question.

"No, Takagi-san did. She stopped me when I was in the middle of cooking for all of you and told me to go over the data of our team instead. I was a little surprised by in the end very grateful. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do my coaching duties while taking care of all of you."

A fork clattered on a newly clean plate as several mouths hung open in shock. The girl in question, who had apparently cooked all the meals before them tonight, passed by them in a hurry to give even more players the food they wanted. However, before she could go far, Koganei grabbed her wrist and looked up at her with tears in his eyes.

"Thank you, Takagi~!" He cried in joy. Several other crying heads appeared behind him, each one holding the same amount of gratitude in their eyes.

"Thank you!" They all said in unison.

"It's alright." Mia responded as she understood what they were saying. Setting down the pot of curry on the table she held onto Koganei's hands and looked off into the distance, an overly serious expression appearing on her face, "I couldn't just let my comrades experience such a fatal situation once again."

"I can still hear you, ya know!" Riko shouted amongst their blossoming friendship in annoyance. However, she quickly dismissed the hidden insult towards her cooking and looked back up at h underclassman.

"Anyway, Takagi-san, there were some questions about some of these percentages that I wanted to run by you?"

"Hmmm? What's up?" She asked, quickly sitting down across from the coach. The other men took this opportunity to steal from the large pot that was still left on their side as they watched the two females converse of the topic of strategies and training.

"Would you look at that…" Hyuuga commented in amazement, his curry almost completely forgotten until Koganei tried to steal some.

"Yeah." Kiyoshi marveled as well. "I've seen Riko hang out with other females before, but I've never seen her talk so seriously with a person of the same sex."

"Are you sure that can be considered a good thing?" Said Koganei in between spoonfuls.

"It is if it's something your dedicated about. Those two would make good friends in all honesty." Izuki answered, "Hm? They should...curry up and be friends."

"Being friends with others should be up to them not us." Hyuuga said with a final bite of food. "Also, Izuki, shut up."

The men continued their meals in their own version of peace, which included shouting from Hyuga as he made sure no one threw up their food, laughter from Kiyoshi as he watched everyone start to swallow their food whole, and Mitobe catching Koganei before he stole any of Shuutoku's food and possibly getting pummeled I the process.

From the first year's table, Kuroko continued to watch Mia speak diligently with Riko about the contents of her notebook and even saw her start to scribble even more notes in front of her. He heard what his captain had to say about his friend and their coach and he smiled at the thought of the two becoming good friends in the future. But, he was right, it was up to them whether or not they chose to do so.

Suddenly, his stomach twisted and turned at the build up of food in his system and the invisible man covered his mouth with his hand as he stood from his seat.

"Excuse me...toilet…" He began before a firm hand grasped his shoulder.

"Kuroko..." Hyuuga growled, "Remember what happens if you throw up that food…"

* * *

"Hah….hah….hah…." A shirtless, lone and hungry tiger breathed heavily as he dragged his bare feet across the sand in the evening. The now darkened sky filled his vision, and the only thing keeping him going and guiding him were the lights of the inn in front of him.

"Not in the gym….just like….yesterday….not in the fucking gym…"

"You know you should really watch your language, Tiger."

"Woah!" He shouted in surprise at the female voice that had called out to him. Sitting down on porch was none other than Takagi Mia. A playful smirk was displayed in her face and her Raven black hair, which was usually kept straight, was now slightly wavy and damp due to the bath she had taken earlier on. A small white towel was held in her hands and, standing up from her spot on the porch, she walked up to him and held out the cloth to him.

"It took you long enough." She commented frankly, "What? Did you actually check to see if we were still in the gym? You should tell from the way there is no more light in the sky that we went back inside by now."

"Shut it." Kagami demanded, snatching the towel from her hands and glaring at it. He knew it was for the sweat he had accumulated over several hours of running, and that using it would relieve him of some of the bad smell he most likely was emitting, but instead, he simply threw the towel back at her face and continued his way into the inn.

"Gah!"

"You use it."

"Wait, what? Tiger, you can't possibly be fine with all of that sweat."

"Well I don't think you're fine with having wet hair and a possibility of getting a cold, huh?!" He seethed, still clearly physically stressed out from not being able to play for the last couple of days. He turned his muscular back on Mia's taken aback expression and set down the large load of drinks at the front entrance.

"So? Why did you wait for me?" Kagami asked after popping his neck. He looked over his shoulder at the girl as he stretched out his arms across his chest and was slightly uneasy when he saw he thrust her nose up in the air, her hands on her hips.

"Well, I thought that it would be nice if you knew that a certain someone managed to convince the manager to keep the baths open for another thirty minutes."

"What?! Really?!" The redhead exclaimed in disbelief, rushing over to her and grabbing her shoulders so that she may look him in the eye the next time she said it. "Are you serious?!"

"Yup! Now you can take a nice long bath after all your hard work today!" She reassured before scrunching up her nose in disgust, "A much needed one it would seem."

"Oh, sweet! This is great!" The giant kept cheering, his hands still on her shoulders. When he realized that it was time he released his grip on her, he looked down and found that she was looking up and down his bare body...and with a smile on her face no less.

"Um…." He said uneasily, letting her go and stepping back a bit, "W-What?"

Her blues eyes scanned his body, especially his legs, one final time before nodding in approval.

"This is great!" She said excitedly, "Soon enough your percentages will be soaring through the roof. Literally."

Tossing the small towel onto her head, Mia started to walk back into the inn while rubbing her hair dry. "I better get back to my room now. I still have some things to discuss with Riko-senpai before I go to bed. Enjoy your bath, Tiger."

"Ah, wait!" He ran towards the entrance and called down the hallway, expecting her to already be halfway down the corridor. When he realized that she was still near the doorway, he flinched and jumped back at the close proximity.

Her ocean blue eyes looked at his red ones questioningly, her hands still locked on the cloth on her head. Sighing, Kagami dug in one of the two bags he came back with and threw a bottle at the girl. Mia gasped, fumbling with the object until she finally had it in her grasp. Looking down, her eyes widened at the familiar sight of lemonade, and she looked back up at the basketball player as if to make sure this was really for her.

"You wanted that right?" He asked with a shrug of his shoulders. He grabbed the two bags from the porch and waited for her response.

"Yes, but I was just joking…" She looked at him with sad pitiful eyes. She was merely that she made him do more work than what he needed to do, but to Kagami, it looked as if she was feeling sorry that he couldn't take a joke.

"Well excuse me for trying to be nice! I'll just never listen to Kuroko again, how about that?!" He shouted, turning away from her sharply. "If you don't like it, then just give it to the coach or something!"

"No I like it!" Mia insisted, watching as he froze mid stride at her words, "I love it very much, thank you!"

"...yeah." He grumbled, continuing on his way toward the baths. Mia chuckled at his childish behavior and looked down at the lemonade in her hand, rubbing the towel on her head while doing so.

"I try to do something nice, and I end up getting nice things instead." She whispered with a roll of her eyes. "He really is Bakagami."

There was a small skip in her step as she made her way down the hallway back to her room. She had unscrewed the cap of her new beverage and was chugging it happily, savor in the sugary and refreshing drink with delight.

"Mmmmm, yummy." She commented to herself before a hand reached out from behind her and covered her mouth. Surprised, she dropped her drink onto the floor and tried to pull away but was forcibly pulled around the corner and slammed against the wall.

"Hello, Takagi-chan." A voice Mia recognized greeted. The hand slipped away from her mouth and Mia glared slightly at the opponent before her.

"Good evening, Takao-kun." She said, all happy feelings from before vanishing. "What, pray tell, could you possibly want from me so late in the evening."

"I thought you would never ask!" He smiled, "I actually have a little question for you….."

* * *

 **BEFORE ANY OF YOU START SCOLDING ME FOR MAKING TAKAO A LITTLE OOC, LET ME JUST REASSURE YOU, HE DOES GET BETTER AFTER THIS! I just needed him to act a little differently than normal to get this arc going. To be honest, he's only gonna act a little differently during this one chapter. The rest I'm pretty sure he should be fine. Luis, once you guys know why he's acting this way, you will all hopefully understand his behavior by then.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! The next chapter will be coming out before you can even say KUROKONOBASUKE!**


	14. The Beginnings of a New Sunrise V

**Bu dum dum!**

* * *

"You owe me a new lemonade."

"Oh?"

"And you better explain to Riko-senpai why I'm running late so that I won't be bent like a pretzel again."

"'Bent like a pretzel'...?"

"Also, this can be counted as assault."

"Hmmmm?"

"...What do you _want_ , Takao-kun?"

Sharp, suspicious eyes glared into silvery, gray ones as Mia tried to find her opening to escape Takao's clutches. But, he didn't have a hawkeye for nothing. Every time he saw her move towards an unprotected area, he shifted his body so that it was blocked like the rest of her.

"Like I said before, I just want to ask a question!" He thrust his arms around, gesturing around him, as if what he was trying to tell her was the most obvious thing in the world. Raising an eyebrow, Mia crossed her arms across her chest and leaned her back against the wall comfortably. It didn't seem like she would get out of this conversation for a while.

"So? What's your question?"

"Wow! That was easier than I thought." The male giggled, childishly. Stuffing his hand into the pockets of his dark shorts, he smiled. "What's your relationship with Shin-chan?"

"Midorima-kun?" She repeated, questioningly. "We went to the same middle school together. I was the assistant manager of the basketball team there."

"Seriously?! So there are two Teiko members here!" Takao exclaimed, "So that means that you know a lot about the Generation of Miracles too!"

"Not like I'll share them with you though." Mia dead panned, earning even more soft chuckles from the other teenager.

"Wow. How mean." His words didn't match the expression on his face; in fact, he looked like no matter what she said to him, he would still be smiling. This new fact made Mia think for a second that he would be incredibly good at the game of poker.

"And?"

Mia blinked back in confusion, "'And'?"

"What else is there? You know, between you and Shin-chan."

"Nothing. That's about everything."

Silence slithered its way between the two as Takao looked at Mia like she had just grown two more heads. Another heartbeat of a second passed before the male let out a struggled breath of air, then threw his whole head back as he howled in laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" His voice bounced off the walls and echoed down the hallway, making Mia frantically throw herself at him and cover his still laughing mouth with her two hands. The vibrations from the little fits and giggles he was still producing tickled the palms of her hands.

"Shhh!" She scolded, "Just because we're still awake, doesn't mean other people are too! Plus, I was serious on what I said about my senpai. She will bend me until I can't move anymore."

"Sorry sorry." He apologized half heartedly, swatting her hands away and taking deep breaths so that he wouldn't go into yet another hilarious fit. "It's just way too damn funny. Not only is your mere presence making Shin-chan act weird, but it turns out that absolutely nothing happened between the two of you? HA! I almost feel bad for how one sided this is!"

"One sided? What the hell are you talking about?"

Whatever Mia said that made Takao giggle hysterically again while looking at her with wide eyes was beyond her. However, what she did know was that it was starting to piss her off.

"Whatever." She growled as she finally turned away from him, a tick mark forming on her forehead, "If you're done with your questions, I'll be taking my leave."

"Wait, h-hold on." Takao called, trying to sound serious, "You've caught my interest in something else."

'Oh great.' She thought. Just what she needed. Out of everyone else in Shuutoku, she just had to catch the hawk's eye. She didn't stop walking, though, instead making Takao follow her around like a lost dog rather than allow him to stare her down till her walls crumbled.

"You say you were a part of the basketball team in Teiko, right? So why did you go to Seirin of all places? Surely you would've wanted to go to a much more well known or stronger school."

Mia sighed roughly, "If you must know, I went to the states way before the end of my third year in middle school. So, whatever is considered as a 'well known' school will obviously not be as well known to me in the slightest."

"Ok, but what about Seirin?" He kept probing, "Did you join them because an old teammate of yours was there too?"

"Of course."

He had to respect her for her honesty.

"Then you should've just gone to a different school with a much stronger member. I mean, why Kuroko?"

Takao almost collided with Mia's small frame as she stopped abruptly and turned to face him. Her blue eyes held a new kind of seriousness to them that he didn't know whether to be awed or scared.

"Because Kuroko Tetsuya is the strongest member out of the entire Generation of Miracles combined." She said simply, "And no insane ability, not physical strength, can change that fact."

Takao's eyes widened. Not because of laughter or amusement, but in sheer disbelief. He knew Kuroko's way of playing basketball was amazing, and he wasn't trying to bad mouth it. Hell, even if he was, it would come back to bite him in the ass one day. But, he never heard of anyone talk so highly of him as a person, as well as a basketball player. It kind of made him jealous a little bit.

"Heh~?" He smirked, "Is that so? Well you know, Shin-chan isn't the only one you should be comparing him to."

"Takao-kun, you seem like a good guy. Although, you may be a little loud, annoying, too carefree, you tease too much, even your hair is a bit annoying. I mean how can you stand those stray hairs in your face all the time?"

"Oi oi…" Takao was starting to get a little disheartened by her comment. Wasn't she trying to give him a compliment?

"But I know what you're really like underneath all of that. I know what kind of player you are, and what kind of weaknesses you hold. So trust me when I say that I can easily crush you for claiming that you are even half the man Tetsuya is."

"Oh?" Well this is getting interesting. Hey may have actually hit a sensitive area, "And why don't you try to do so now?"

"Because I'm leaving that job to my team the next time we play an official match. If I remember correctly, Tetsuya told me that we beat you guys once. We can easily do it again."

It was Mia's turn to smirk as she hit one of Takao's sensitive spots, watching his face fall quickly in dismay and annoyance. She also could've sworn that she heard him click his tongue too.

"Oh yeah? How can you be so certain after watching us train? Shuutoku has beat Seirin in every single game."

"I have my ways." She simply put, basking in the glory of finally wiping that damn smile off of the male's face.

"Hmmmmm?" He glared before smiling once more and chuckling softly.

So much for wiping off that abnoxious face.

"You really are a riot, Takagi-chan!" Takao said, wiping away the tears of laughter from his eyes. "To be honest, it would be great if our teams got to face each other again during the Winter Cup."

"...yeah it really would." Mia couldn't help but give the young man a genuine smile at the comment. Takao Kazunari really had his moments sometimes.

"Welp, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then, Takagi-chan!" He said, spinning on his heel and going off into the opposite direction as Mia.

"Eh? That it?" She called, "Are you really done this time?"

"Don't sound too disappointed." He answered sarcastically, "I've had my fill for the day. But don't worry, if I have anymore questions, I'll make sure that we have another rendezvous like this one!"

"Please don't."

"Hahahahaha!"

With a short wave of his hand, Takao turned the corner and left Mia to herself finally. It was odd to have company at one point, then lose it the next. But, she didn't mind. The only thing that was really on her mind was getting to her room before Riko had another fit.

With a shrug of her shoulders, Mia continued walking down the hall, he legs taking large steps to cover more ground. It was when she passed by the lone vending machine that something, or rather someone, caught her eye.

"ACK! RIKO-SENPAI?!" Mia screeched before slapping her hands over her mouth to keep herself quiet. "W-What are you doing there?"

The coach didn't look at all surprised by the girl's sudden outburst. In fact, she didn't look surprised to see Mia in the first place. Her back was leaning against the left side of the large box, the hums from the cooler inside vibrating on her back. Her arms were crossed and she pushed her foot off of the machine to face the front.

"I'm getting a drink." She answered normally. Pulling out several coins from her pocket she stuck them in the open slots and pushed a button for a can of cola. Once Mia heard that drink plunk down in the opening, Riko grabbed it then made the same actions once more, only this time for a different kind of drink.

"Here." The senpai said, handing Mia her own cold drink. "It's late, but I think we may still have some time to discuss the rest of our team members' stats before we go to bed."

"Oh. Okay." Mia responded, obediently following behind the upperclassman as they made their way back to their room. Looking down at the drink in her hand, she couldn't help but slightly smile at the familiar yellow liquid of lemonade. The condensation quickly made her hands wet and cold, but that didn't stop her from on capping the bottle and taking large gulps of the refreshing beverage.

"Thank you, Riko-senpai." She said happily, holding up her bottle "For the drink."

"...sure."

The truth is, Riko heard everything. And she's pretty sure that Mia knew that too from the moment she found her hiding behind the vending machine. She had gone out of her way to hunt down the manager-in-training, only to find her with one of their stronger opponents. And not only that…

 _"Because I'm leaving that job to my team the next time we play an official match."_

'She's not even an official member of the team and yet she's already saying stuff like that. What a stupid, overconfident, weird freshman.'

But not even Riko could help the satisfied smile that spread on her lips.

* * *

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh~" Mia let out a long yawn as she passed out water bottles to each male team member. Her mouth opened wide and she didn't seem to care how far her jaw opened or how unfeminine it looked.

Kiyoshi whistled once she reached him and she smacked her lips together. "That was quite a yawn, Mia-san. Did you not get enough sleep last night?"

"No. I woke up early today to write some data about Shutoku in my notebook and by the time I went to bed it was already time for everyone to get up."

"You really shouldn't be putting so much strain on your body. You just got over being sick."

Mia sighed, "Yeah I know, it's just that whenever I don't write down the things in my head I get all fidgety." To emphasize her point, the girl began to wave Kiyoshi's water bottle up and down, sending some droplets of water flying before the male grabbed her hand gently to remove the object from her grasp.

"How much longer is the camp going to be, Teppei-nii?"

The giant actually had to pause mid drink to think about that before answering, "Tonight should be our last night before we head back tomorrow."

It had been over 24 hours since Mia had talked with Takao, and like he promised, he hasn't bothered her since. Instead, he has just been training harder along with the rest of his team. It was a huge relief to not have to deal with his erratic laughing anymore, but it was also very nerve racking too.

"I see…"

Kiyoshi chuckled, "Are you missing home already?"

"That's not it!" Mia responded quickly, waving her hands in front of her face, "I just feel like it's not enough time for me to collect all the data I want to collect. If we we here for at least one more day, then maybe I would be able to determine exactly how to have our team prepare for a match against Shuutoku."

The tall male watched as Mia placed her thumb and forefinger on her chin, deep in thought. Her lips moved slightly as she began to mumble random thoughts to herself, completely forgetting that she was still in front of her senpai. The older teenager didn't seem to mind, though. Instead he smiled softly and looked into the direction that Shuutoku was training in.

"Really?" He asked, bringing Mia back to reality, "I think it's a good thing that we don't know everything about them."

"Huh?" She looked back, confused. More boys from their team continued to come over and ask for a fresh bottle to rehydrate themselves, but Mia kept a close ear on what Kiyoshi was trying to tell her.

"Doesn't it seem more exciting that way? The rush you feel when you're playing with someone someone stronger, the adrenaline that kicks in whenever you manage to score even one point against them, the frustration when they do the same to you, and the joy of victory when you still manage to defeat them. Heck, even losing a game against them still sends some sort of determination throughout your body to get stronger so that next time, you'll be the winners."

As he spoke, his eyes wandered past the busy Shuutoku team to a certain pair of freshman arguing in the corn like normal. Mia looked over and saw Kuroko and Kagami raising their voices over why Nigou was in the gym with them. Or at least, Kagami was the one raising his voice. Kuroko was just holding up the small animal, his own eyes imitating the sad and pleading ones the puppy held.

"Knowing about each player's abilities and getting an upper hand is a nice thing, but basketball just seems more fun when you don't know the outcome of the game unless you stick with it till the end."

Mia turned her head and looked at every other member on Seirin's team, watching them stretch or practice their shooting or dribbling. If every single one of them felt the same way about the sport as Kiyoshi did, then she didn't know what to do with herself.

"Hmmmmm, I never thought of it that way." The girl said, bringing her hand back up to her chin as she looked up at the ceiling. Suddenly, with a high pitched tweet of a whistle, all heads turned towards Seirin's coach.

"Alright, everyone! Time to start another practice match!" She called over all of the low murmurs and moving feet. They have been doing this same drill for the last four days, and yet they still looked like they couldn't get enough.

Especially a certain redhead who was already summoned by the female coach before he could even take one step onto.

"SHIT!" He shouted, making several heads jerk in his direction in surprise. Mia, however, just giggled at the sight. She didn't need to hear what Riko told him to know that he was forced to go run once again. It looks like she's going to have to convince the manager to keep the baths open for one more night.

"Tiger~!" She called as his rushing form ran passed her, throwing his blue jersey smock at her face to keep her quiet.

"Yeah yeah! I know! I'll get you some!" He answered before she could even ask, making her throw her head back as she gave a quick bark of laughter. He really was amusing to her sometimes. Her laugh in stopped abruptly when she felt a giant hand land on her head and started to pat it with unintentional force, messing up part of her black hair.

"Well, I'm glad you're taking this manager thing seriously, Mia-san." Said Kiyoshi, "It seems like you're having a lot more fun with it than you were before."

The girl looked up at him through flattened bangs, eyes wide in bewilderment. When she realized just how happy his words made her feel, her lips spread into a wide smile and her deep blue orbs shined brightly.

"Yup!" She agreed. Gesturing for him to hand her his water bottle, she sent him off with a wave and watched him as he ran to the other members of the team in the starting lineup.

It was a pretty good group of men beginning the game. There was no Kagami, but their players were still strong whether or not they had him. Hyuuga was first, like always, followed by Izuki, Kiyoshi, Mitobe, and finally, Kuroko. However, it seemed like only Kuroko looked unfocused and uncertain about the whole thing; like he was still deciding on something important.

Sighing, Mia started to pick up all the bottles the men left behind so that they would be ready by the time the were finished.

'Honestly,' she thought, 'It's just one problem after another at this camp.'

* * *

"Here!" Riko said, satisfied as she dumped another bucket filled with iced on the grass, "Be sure to cool off."

The practice match against Shuutoku was an unsurprising defeat, 91 to 81, and the whole team was now stationed outside in the scalding heat surrounded by several large tubs of ice cubes. It was Riko's own special treatment that reduced muscle pain and prevented over stressing. Some of the men were obedient and had already rolled up their shorts and dug their legs into the intense and sudden change of temperature. Only a few, mainly the freshmen, looked down at the tubs in uncertainty.

"I can already tell how cold it's gonna be." Furihata groaned as he shivered from the thought.

"Yeah, it's gonna be painful after a while too, huh?"

"Maybe we should ask coach of we can sit this one out?"

"You can, but there will be a 99.9% chance she'll tell you to go in anyway." Mia said, pulling a Kuroko and popping up out of nowhere. The three men jumped in surprise and whirled their heads around to find the teal haired teen, making sure that he wasn't around to scare them too. But, much to their relief, the usually invisible man was already in his own tub of ice, his legs shivering severely from the cold.

"If you guys are worried about comfort, then let me just say that icing is the best choice to take rather than just sitting out." She started to explain, her arms folded across her chest, "Not icing will take a serious toll on your bodies and you will end up having a 97% chance of feeling serious muscle and body pain tonight, maybe tomorrow morning if you're lucky. The ice cools down all major parts of your legs, which you have been working on for the past several days, and reduces that pain by 25%."

Her face crept closer to the three men and her eyes grew sharper the closer she moved, forcing the boys to step back until their legs hit the plastic of the tub.

"You guys have to remember that you still have the rest of summer break to train for Winter Cup. And, knowing Riko- senpai, she's not going to go easy on you just because you have a little muscle pain. You can expect her to give you enough training to increase the soreness in your bodies by about 10%. Unless, you actually take the ice baths and reduce those numbers like you should be doing so that we don't have worry about you guys slacking off in the future. So? Are you going to take the ice baths? Or are you willing to feel like crap for the next month?"

Their answers were clear as they quickly dunked their feet and legs in the large buckets, the frozen cubes of water only being a third of the reason why they were already shaking. The rest of the team members stifled their laughter at the scene, not really expecting the young female to be so strict, but really grateful that she could be when she needed to.

"Four games and we lost all of them." Fukuda spoke up, resting his palms on the rim of the bucket behind him, "In the end, it was a total annihilation."

"Did we get weaker?"

"Of course not!" Kiyoshi reassured, clutching his fist in determination, "We're getting stronger. Have a bit more confidence! We're strong!"

It would be a little more reassuring if his legs were shaking so badly every time he repeated himself.

'So what is it?!' The freshmen thought, 'He's never clear!'

From the sidelines, Kuroko just sighed at both his team's antics and the coolness his legs were currently feeling. Was it normal for his feet to feel numb?

"Woof!" A dog barked right next to him, making him jump at the existence of not just the anime, but the female holding him.

"Woah!" Mia said, shocked, "Never would've thought that the phantom man himself would get startled about someone being near him the entire time."

"Mia…" He acknowledged. He saw how today her hair was tied in a long, black braid, and how she was teasing Nigou's nose with the tip. She had also switched out her white and green sailor top with the plain white Seirin gym shirt, keeping the skirt to stay on Riko's good side. Not like the coach would've minded either way. It was obvious that his middle school friend was trying her best at every job she was given. That alone gained the respect of the other members. Meanwhile, he...he was just...

"Tetsuya, how are you doing?" The dark haired girl asked, her eyes never leaving the small dog as she kneeled down to set him back on the ground, much to his chagrin.

"Eh?"

"Your style." She explained, "It's clear you've been trying to find your own style of basketball this entire trip. Especially since you tried to go one on one with Midorima-kun several times in the last few games."

She sat down in the grass and pulled her knees up to her chin as she looked up at her old friend. Nigou had given up trying to make Mia pick him up again, and was instead rolling around in the grass happily.

"So? How's it going?"

"...I...I don't know." He should've known that he wouldn't be able to keep everything from Teiko's former strategist. "I understand where I need to stand, but I just can't figure out how to get there. To be honest, it's quite frustrating."

"Ain't that the truth." Mia agreed, nodding her head. She looked down at her sneakers, her brows furrowed, then took a deep breath and faced Kuroko's light blue eyes once again.

"Um, you know…" She began, struggling to get back on her feet, "I can show you what you need to fix."

"Huh?"

"You know, your numbers. I can show you what you need to do to build up your ability numbers and maybe that will help you find your style faster. What do you think?"

Kuroko looked at his friend in surprise. He never knew she would go that far for him. He was very grateful, ecstatic even, but it just didn't feel right.

"No." He answered simply, "I feel like if I'm going to find my own style, I have to do it my way." Looking up, he gave Mia one those rare smiles of his, and even though her help was just rejected, she didn't feel a bit disappointed. "Thank you though, Mia."

"Sure!" She smiled back, lacing her fingers behind her back.

"And you? How are you doing on this trip?"

"Oh I'm doing fine!" Mia said. Their relaxation with one another allowed them to easily move on with their conversation, making both parties feel at ease that such a person was with them on the team. "It started out bumpy, but I feel like almost everything is turning out to be all right in the end. I even feel more confident that Riko-senpai will let me become the manager?"

"What about Midorima-kun?"

"I said almost everything is turning out to be all right, Tetsuya." Mia shot back quickly, holding one hand up as if to say 'stop before you go any further'.

"Mia…" Kuroko lightly scolded, "You can't just avoid them forever."

"I know, but that's the thing. I'm not! I mean, it's really hard to talk with someone when they've been ignoring you the entire time!" Huffing, she laid her left on the edge of Kuroko's bucket and placed on foot behind the other. Now leaning on her left arm, she put her other hand on her hip and pouted at some random object in front of her.

"Did you talk with him at all yet?"

"I did. Once on the night that Riko-senpai twisted me like a noodle for the first time."

"Ah." Immediately, Kuroko knew of when she was talking about. Who could forget such an eventful evening?

"He asked me one question and it was about my splint on my finger. Then, he just up and left. Now he's not talking to me. He says he's fine with not knowing why I left, but to me it just seems like refuses to even acknowledge the fact that I came back in the first place! And now the only one from Shuutoku who is talking to me is Takao-kun and I don't know whether or not I should trust him yet. Especially with all that laughing!"

"Mia." Kuroko's voice summoned her back to reality. She turned her head towards her companion and looked when she saw him pointing downwards. The slightly torn edge of the plastic bucket caught her off guard and she quickly released her hold on the object, a couple of tiny cubes escaping through the new exit. Checking to make sure her hand wasn't scratched or anything, she scratched her head nervously and looked away with a tiny laugh.

"Your voice is getting too loud." Was all the male said, ignoring the fact that she could've torn half of his bucket out of stress. They turned when they heard Riko's voice calling everyone out of their tubs and Kuroko slowly lifted one leg at a time out of the cold tub, enjoying the warmth of the summer sun on his frozen toes. "But, you've actually changed, Mia."

"Hu? What did you say?" Mia asked from her position on the ground. She had knelt down to lift up their team's puppy again and was too distracted by the little dog's cuteness to understand the fact that he friend was speaking to her.

"No, it was nothing." The male dismissed, already starting to walk back with the team to continue on with their day.

"...Well, whatever I guess." The girl said to herself before jogging to catch up with the rest of the now chilled men.

* * *

"Ha~ I'm hurting all over." Hyuuga groaned while stretching out his arms. Plopping in the seat across from Kiyoshi in their room, he laid his head against the back of the chair and sighed.

"The champion is strong after all." Kiyoshi commented, referring to their matches against Shuutoku.

"Yeah. I guess so." Said the captain as he sat up straighter to get a good look at his roommate, "When we won against them, we just went all out. Honestly, this is just the difference in our strength."

"But I'm glad we did this combined training." Iron heart spoke with optimism, "It was rather exciting."

"Well, it did give us something to think about."

'And…'

"Something to try out too…"

* * *

The evening was loud with bugs and crickets chirping their hearts out in the darkness. It seemed to be more humid outside during the night than it was during the day time. But, that didn't stop Kagami from dribbling his orange basketball across the large parking lot, empty with the exception of a car or two parked far away from one another. He had taken the liberty to use one of the baskets the coach had for their beach practice and was now using it to score dunks and fadeaways, as well as lay ups and threes.

"My, how devoted." Riko spoke up after watching for several minutes in amusement. Kagami turned sharply to see who was speaking. Once he realized that it wasn't the phantom man who had talked to him, his shoulders relaxed immensely.

"Ah, no. It's just that with a set goal, I suddenly, you know…" He didn't know how to describe how he was feeling to his coach, but he knew she understood just by looking at him. Which also brought up another good point…

"More importantly, I have been running on the beach alone the entire training camp."

"My? Really?" The female coach said like it was nothing, "You deserve a gold star!"

Ignoring the way she was treating him, he continued, "What's more, every time I come back, the game is already over! I've been to that convenience store so many times, the owner has all the drinks prepared for me, and yet I still miss everything! Jeez, why are you making me do this?!"

"You really haven't realized it yourself?" She questioned, both hands now on her hips as she waited for Kagami's answer. Not like she needed one. She could tell from the surprise and confusion on his face that he hasn't even found out yet why he was forced to run in the first place.

"Eh?"

Okay, then let me tell you."

 _Try to jump._

* * *

"Speaking of which, what do you think of Kagami's training?" Hyuuga continued. He accepted the cup of tea Kiyoshi had poured for him and sipped it carefully. "Isn't it just to up his muscle strength?"

"Mhmm. By his exercises I would believe so." Kiyoshi agreed, pouring himself a cup of green tea as well, "But I get the feeling it's to drag out his real potential…"

* * *

"Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hm. Hmm. Hmm. Hm." Takao hummed as he walked down the sidewalk back into the inns. He had gone to the convenience store for some midnight snacks for him and the guys and had stayed there longer than he had planned. He only hoped he hadn't missed the call for dinner yet. "Hon'nouteki naru situation~ tatakau imi o sagasu kono imitation~ Kurayami kara kobo-!"

The teenager's mini concert was interrupted once he saw a large shadow looming above him. Turning around instinctively, he watched, just in time, to see Kagami slam the backboard of a basketball hoop with his right hand.

'WOAH!' He shouted in his head, ducking behind the hedge to keep himself from getting hit and for getting caught at witnessing such an event.

'Seirin's female coach and Kagami? What're they doing? ...Actually…'

Looking up at the hoop, Takao saw three long marks indicating where the redhead's right hand just hit a bit higher than the hoop itself. He pursed his lips in jealousy before looking back at the duo.

'He clearly jumped higher than the ring. His jumping skills are amazing…'

"You're tired so I guess that's about it." Riko encouraged, "Next try the other side."

"Eh?"

'The other side?'

* * *

"Don't you think his jumps are rather irregular?" Kiyoshi asked Hyuuga as they put away their cups and cleaned up their area.

"Now that you say it...yeah."

"Maybe it's because his right handed, one hand dunk is his specialty, but he jumps off his left foot more often. But...he jumped his best height when he jumped off of his right foot."

"Huh?"

* * *

 _Ping_

"Oh! Whoops…" Takao whispered once he noticed a couple of coins had fallen out of his pocket. Reaching down to get them, he let his guard down for only a moment…

 _BANG_

"Ah!"

"Wah! Idiot! Too much strength!"

'Huh?'

 _SLAM_

'GYAHH!' Takao choked on air trying to keep quiet as the large pole from the basketball hoop landed right behind him, barely missing by a couple of centimeters. He scooted back trying to add more distance between the both of them, but what he saw made him freeze in his tracks.

Way above the first three marks, right underneath the edge of the backboard, was an entire handprint.

"Basically, his strong foot isn't his left one. But his right."

'What...is this?!' Takao couldn't believe his eyes at what he was seeing. Here laying before him upside down in the bushes, was a man who was able to effortlessly jump all the way to the top of the already tall basketball hoop, and all he could do was stare.

 _"If I remember correctly, Tetsuya told me that we beat you guys once. We can easily do it again."_

'No way! Did that girl say that because she knew about this? Did you _actually_ know about this the entire time?!'

* * *

"Great! It done!" Mia quietly cheered after testing the soup she had made for dinner. She kept her promise, and with the help of a certain tiger, got the recipes needed to make exceptional meals for each basketball team. Although, she was pretty sure Kagami could make something better, she was happy as long as it was better than her coach's cooking.

"Mia?" A voice popped up out of nowhere, almost making the girl drop her testing cup. It was so ridiculous. She should be used to this by now. "Did you call for me?"

"Oh yes! I did, Tetsuya. Do you mind grabbing Tiger for me and telling him that he should get his butt back inside so that no one else grabs his dinner like last time? He should be practicing basketball in the parking lot outside."

"Sure." Kuroko agreed with a nod of his head before disappearing from her sight. She could've sworn he just vanished into thin air in front of her, but shook her head at the crazy thought.

"Alright! Now time to set the tables."

* * *

 **Bu dum dum!**


	15. NG-Shuu (Chapters 5 -10)

**Guess who's back~**

* * *

 **KUROKO NO BASUKE! NG SHUU!**

 **Mia: Well damn**.

* * *

"Takagi Mia!"

She did not, however, like the feeling of her name being called like that.

Outside of classroom 1-B stood Seirin's basketball coach, her pink whistle already around her neck even though it was only the lunch period.

"Coach?!" Kagami exclaimed behind Mia. The raven haired girl was on her way to sit with both the redhead and Kuroko before she was suddenly stopped by the brown haired second year.

Looking over her shoulder, Mia saw Riko gesture for her to walk over to her. Slightly nervous after what happened two days ago, Mia set her small bento on top of Kuroko's desk, letting the invisible man 'guard' it as she left to talk with the coach.

"Yes?" Mia answered, stepping outside the classroom and in front of Riko.

Instead of answering immediately like Mia was prepared for, the female second year stared at the girl intently. Her brown eyes never moving from Mia's. The situation seemed like an intense staring contest, with neither female blinking or breaking. Eventually, Riko sighed and shoved s small piece of paper at Mia.

"Here." She said, not looking as Mia carefully accepted the parchment.

"What's this?"

"The basketball team is gonna hold a summer training camp over the break to get ready for the Winter Cup." Riko explained, her hands crossed over in front of her chest. "Although we haven't decided officially on where it's going to be, those dates written down are of when we will be gone."

"So this means..."

"If you prove to me during the summer training camp that you are true to your word and that you are worthy enough, then I will accept you as our team's manager."

"..." Mia's blue eyes just continued to stare at Riko, her gaze becoming more sharp by the second. It was safe to say that the coach was feeling quite uncomfortable with the sudden stare down.

"Um...Takagi-San?" She called, waving her hand in front of the girl's face.

"Summer vacation?" The freshman finally said, her face still lacking any form of other emotion.

"Uh, yes…?"

"Every year during the summer...taiyo ni sawaritaiyo***"

There was a moment's pause as Riko tried to comprehend the stupidity that just came out of Mia's mouth. Opening her mouth, she was about to ask what she just said but someone else beat her to the punch.

"That was a good one!" Izuki shouted from the other end of the hallway, popping up out of nowhere and running towards the raven haired female in a great haste. Instantly he grabbed his pen and notebook and started scribbling down the pun that was just conceived.

"Tai...yo..ni...sawa…"

"Ritaiyo." Mia finished, helping out her senpai.

All Riko could do was quickly turn around and walk away.

"I think we should find another manager candidate…"

* * *

 **KUROKO NO BASUKE! NG SHUU!**

 **Mia: Well damn.**

* * *

"Aomine-kun?" A smooth, cool voice spoke, making the person behind it known.

"GWAAA!" Aomine jumped, almost toppling over the side of the stairs. He caught himself in time but whipped his head behind him, ready to glare at whoever it was that almost killed him. Finding the familiar head of teal hair and matching eyes, he facial features morphed into that of pleasant surprise.

"Tetsu!"

"Yes?"

"How long have you been there?"

"Quite a while actually." Kuroko said, taking off his black jacket as he did so.

It was by far the fanciest Aomine has ever seen Kuroko. With his black coat, vest, pants and shoes, Kuroko Tetsuya managed to pass of the image of a well defined butler, the white gloves on his hands completing the look.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted what you wanted to say to Takagi-san." Kuroko finished, placing the black coat over his arm as he looked back up at Aomine.

"Ah, no it's fine." The taller male replied, rubbing the back of his head as he looked from Tetsu to Mia who was looking between the two with her normal expression- if you call it an expression at all. However, Aomine could have sworn that in the midst of almost falling over or down the stairs thanks to Kuroko's surprise appearance, Mia actually looked surprised as well. But, by the time he looked back at the girl, any evidence of her ever being surprised or shocked at all as gone.

Figures.

"I thought you would be with Sacchan." Mia said towards Kuroko. "Weren't you both going to enter the Stamp Rally?"

"I was on my way down to go meet up with Momoi-san now." Kuroko answered, taking off his white gloves and stuffing them in his pockets.

"Seriously?" Aomine piped up, "Well if you're going, Tetsu, Takagi and I are coming with you. I need to say a thing or two to Satsuki about dumping this on me."

"Excuse me?" A voice asked in a low and dangerous tone, sending chills down Aomine's spine. Whipping his head around he came face to face with one of the most threatening glares he has ever seen on Takagi Mia's face. Even the nice looking Kuroko took a step back away from the potentially hurtful assistant manager.

"It's rude to refer to people as objects, Aomine-kun. Whether you like them or not, you shouldn't be so rude to one person. Haven't you ever heard of 'treat others the way you want to be treated'? Didn't your parents teach you such an important concept or were you just so focused on basketball that you managed to turn your brain into one. I can't believe you actually referred to me as 'this'. I'll have you know that my company is amazing, thank you very much. Not like you would know because you so busy trying to be cool everyday. And speaking of acting cool, how many classes have you actually attended this semester?"

She spoke quickly and fluently, until slowly her sentences just turned into one long mumbling sound that make Aomine let go of her and step down the stairs.

"T-Tetsu!" He called over his shoulder. "Help me out here. How do you turn her off?"

When he got no response, the teen turned around to find that the invisible team player had actually abandoned him, leaving him alone with Mia once again. Only this time, he felt like a small child being scolded by his mother.

"TESTU YOU TRAITOR!" He cried.

* * *

 **KUROKO NO BASUKE! NG SHUU!**

 **Mia: Well damn.**

* * *

"I still do not see the problem, Midorima-kun." Mia spoke up "If the keychain kept you lucky for most of the day then it shouldn't matter what you're performance level was. Besides the day is almost over, so it doesn't really make a difference."

The green haired shooter stared at Mia with his mouth slightly open. The gaping expression he held confused the female and slowly, she felt her face heating up at the possibility that she may have said something not worth saying. Turning her head so that she once again faced her data notebook, Mia hid her face from Midorima. Now she really wanted him to leave.

"Tch. I should have known you wouldn't understand, Takagi." Shintarou said in a low voice. Fixing his glasses on the bridge of his nose, he snatched the keychain roughly from Mia's desk, surprising her.

"Thank you for the information, but I would prefer it if you wouldn't spout out your opinions about such a thing." The way he leaned forward until their faces were inches apart froze Mia in place; the deep tone that came out of his mouth with each word he said made the hairs on the back of her neck stand. However, before the girl could retaliate about how rudeness wouldn't get the teenager anywhere in life...she sneezed all over his face.

"Ugh...excuse me, Midorima-kun." She apologized halfheartedly while sniffling. She refused to face Midorima and turned away, but in out of the corner of her eye, she was able to clearly make out the horrified and disgusted expression he currently held.

"It's very stuffy in the classroom and I've been in here for a long while. I guess it finally got to me. I should kindly ask my classmates to clean properly next time tomorrow morning."

"TAKAGI!"

"...I'm sorry…"

* * *

 **KUROKO NO BASUKE! NG SHUU!**

 **Mia: Well damn.**

* * *

"For the sake of winning, we need to be united." Mia's pencil froze in place as she heard those words. It was only a fraction of a second, but to her it felt like eternity. Just how long has it been since words like that could make Takagi Mia smile?

Far too long.

"For shots, passes, and dribbles, in order to improve those skills one by one, the very important foundation we need to focus on are your legs."

"Even so," Kagami started, stomping his feet in the soft sand beneath him in frustration, "Won't we use up too much of our strength here?!"

"But, you see, that why we're practicing on this sandy beach. You're going to do the regular program...three times." The devil coach ordered, revealing her true colors as she stripped off her outer shirt to get better accustomed to the ongoing heat.

"THRICE?!"

"So now, let's begin this training camp from Hell!"

Everyone froze. And after a few seconds, their jaws dropped as well. Mia looked up, confused at the lack of response. Then, her own eyes bugged out at the sight before her. Riko, it seemed, had accidentally taken off her tank top as well as her shirt and was now showing off her rather cute white bra as the whole team seemed to have lost the ability to even cover their eyes.

"Riko-senpai!" She called. Hearing her voice had woken up several of the older team members and they quickly brought their hands up to cover their eyes. "If you were going to strip that much I would've brought several dollars with me!"

Finally understanding what all of them were looking at after Mia's tease, Riko's face grew bright red. So red, in fact, that some steam was coming off of her face.

"LOOK AWAY!" She screeched, making all of the males scatter like rats who have been caught lingering in the kitchen.

* * *

 *****"Taiyo ni sawaritaiyo" means "I want to touch the sun"**

 **oh Mia. You're much more fun when you let you inner self show.**

 **Be back soon~**


	16. The Beginnings of a New Sunrise VI

**IM BACK!**

* * *

"So good~!"

"One more bowl please!"

"Come and get it yourself!"

"This is too good! Marry me, manager-san!"

"I'll play my best just for you!"

"No way!" Mia shouted over all the cheering male voices, "I'm waiting for a guy who's actually capable of handling their job!"

"Mia-san." Kiyoshi greeted as he and Hyuuga entered the cafeteria. They made their way over to the large counter the girl was passing out soup on and immediately, Mia handed them their bowls.

"Here you go, Teppei-nii, Hyuuga-captain. I made sure none of these bums got near your food."

"Thank you." The giant chuckled.

"Yeah, thanks." It may have just been her imagination, but the captain actually looked a little bit distracted, like something was still fresh on his mind. Before she could ask what was wrong, their female coach began to push her way to the front of the line.

"Move it, Hyuuga-kun. Stop making a lady wait so long for food."

"Oi! Watch it!" He responded while trying to keep his soup in his bowl from all the pushing. Some drops, however, managed to slip over the edge and splattered on his thumb, making him since but never dropping the dish.

"Here you go, Riko-senpai." Mia said cheerfully, handing another bowl to her coach.

"Mmmmmm, looks good!" Riko complimented, "Thanks for the food!"

"No problem!" The teenager was happy to receive such a high praise from her upperclassman. At first it seemed like the two were going to have a lot a tension between them since Mia was sloppy with all of her attempts to gain Riko's trust, but now both of them were on solid ground and Mia was relieved when the brown haired female started to talk with her normally for once instead of someone she needed to stay a certain distance away from.

Looking around the cafeteria, the ebony haired girl made sure that everyone was inside so that she may start handing out seconds to the men who were craving it. She frowned when she noticed the absence of a certain pair of freshmen.

"Hey, Riko-senpai?" Mia called, catching her attention from the conversation she was having with the captain and Iron Heart.

"Hm?"

"Have you seen Tetsuya? I sent him out to go get a Tiger, but it doesn't seem like they've come back yet."

"Oh, Kagami-kun? I was just outside with him. I didn't see Kuroko-kun, though."

"I'd be surprised if you _did_ see him." Hyuuga commented, already slurping on his broth.

"Hmmmm." Looking once more around the room, Mia knit her brows. She then, quickly, moved her hand behind her back to untie the white apron still around her and laid the folded piece of cloth on the counter.

"Eh? Takagi-san?" Riko called confused. She looked back and forth from the now unguarded pot to the currently retreating freshman, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go find Tetsuya and Tiger." She answered over her shoulder, "Can you make sure no one tries to steal any more food before I come back with them please?"

" _Eh_? W-Wait a minute!"

But, she didn't turn around again. Her face looked straight ahead, a new mission hidden deep within her eyes. It wasn't the fact that the two were gone longer than she planned them to be that worried her. It was the fact that another pair of freshman from Shuutoku were missing as well.

And one of them just happened to be man who has been ignoring her this entire trip.

* * *

 _Chirp_

 _Chirp_

 _Chirp_

Crickets sounded all over the area in a harmonious orchestra of quiet and cheerful notes, adding on to the fact, along with the hot and humid weather, that summer was indeed upon them. Kuroko's sneakers tapped quietly against the concrete of the sidewalk as he made his way down the street towards the parking lot he knew his teammate was at. He enjoyed the little bugs' songs. It was something to keep him company. Especially since he was accidentally ignored by his coach. _Again_.

He had seen her walking from the direction he was heading towards and he waved a hand to greet her, even going as far as to say "Good evening." All he got in return, though, were a few giggles and her voice mumbling "Did I give him too many hints? Oh well. He's an idiot after all."

before she walked away from him completely, not even looking in his direction. Kuroko merely just shrugged it off since, sadly, he was used to that sort of treatment.

"Hm?" The young male paused as he noticed a large living creature kneeling low on the ground behind the bushes. Takao seemed to sense a similar human presence and was most pleased with himself that he knew it was Kuroko and didn't jump from fear.

"Good evening." The first male greeted in a monotonous tone. Takao grinned and gave a short wave back.

"Yo! What's up?"

"Actually, it's time for dinner. I was told to call for Kagami-kun."

"Already this late, huh?" He slowly started to stand from his spot on the sidewalk, looking over the hedge to see if the redhead had noticed him yet. But, the teenager in question was lying flat on his back in the middle of the parking lot, not noticing either one of them, and Kuroko raised an eyebrow at the scene before him. "Guess I should head back too."

The phantom man nodded and was just turning away from Takao to go get Kagami when he suddenly felt a large hand grab him by the top of his head and yank him downwards.

"Wait! Duck!" The hawk eye giggled. Kuroko started to ask what he was trying to do, but the same hand clamped over his mouth.

"Shhh!"

"Mh?" A new voice spoke up over the hedge. The teal haired male looked up and spotted the familiar green head of Midorima stopping right in front of Kagami's body. Almost instantly, both men glared intensely at the other, tick marks popping on each of their foreheads.

"Stay silent." Takao commanded with his hand still over Kuroko's mouth. Although he said that, it seemed like only the black haired teen was making noise with his strained laughter. "This is going to be fun!"

"But... I didn't say anything."

There was a loud metal groaning noise as Kagami erected the basketball hoop into place, his frown never leaving his face.

"So? What do you want?" He demanded.

Midorima's glare hardened. "Nothing." He said, "I just came out to buy a drink."

"A drink?" Kagami's eyes moved downwards to the can he was holding in his hand and raised an eyebrow at the questionable choice of beverage. "Red bean soup? I'm surprised you can even drink that stuff during the summer."

"It's obviously a cold one, idiot."

"I wasn't talking about that!"

Kuroko glanced at Takao's shaking figure. He didn't know how much longer the hawk eye could keep quiet if this mindless arguing kept up.

"Man...I'm disappointed in you." Midorima continued randomly.

"Out of nowhere?!"

"Before you lost to me, you just _had_ to go and lose to Aomine." His words struck a chord in Kagami, and made his fists clench at his sides, a burning fire rippling throughout his body.

"Next time I'll win!" He declared, " It won't ever stay this way!"

Instead of arguing with him or even poking fun at the goal the redhead had given himself like he would normally do, Midorima just stared blankly at the teenager. Looking up, the slowly fading handprint he had left on top of the basketball hoop caught his eye and a rare but very noticeable smirk broke his bearing and formed on his face.

"Heh. Don't tell me you think you can win with an aerial battle." Midorima said, setting down his can on the ground next to the base of the hoop. "Your head is only filled with jumping, huh? Idiot."

"Hey!"

"Just because you're jumping high, doesn't mean anything will change." His right hand moved along his left fingers in quick motions. Swiftly and almost elegantly, ribbons of white tape fell to the ground in a tiny pile, "You're still only halfway. It's not worth being called a weapon yet."

" **I can't have you lose numerous times like that before I beat you**."

Kagami's eyes widened at the statement, his mouth slightly opened before he shut it to keep it from drying out. Even Kuroko and Takao, who were still hiding poorly behind the bushes, were shocked as they watched Midorima pick up the orange basketball and hold it proudly in front of him.

"Come. I'll fix that cheap conclusion of yours."

* * *

"Hmmmmm" Mia growled in concentration, her blue eyes locked on the path ahead of her.

"Hmmmmm" Her ankles were being tickled by the soft green grass below her, and wisps of hair were getting caught in tiny branches that kept whacking her in the face.

" _Hmmmmm_ " Finally, her legs stopped moving and she crossed her arms in front of her. "Yep, it's official." She sighed, suddenly tired from the amount of walking, "I'm totally lost."

* * *

Two pairs of feet dug themselves into the sand below them, tiny grains of the tan soil sticking to their feet after getting them slightly drenched in ocean water. Koganei was lagging a little bit behind Izuki but his pacing was consistent, as was the point guard's.

"What's up, Izuki?" He asked, "Why did you suddenly want to go for a run?"

Their breathing was coming out in short spurts, keeping their blood flowing as well as their oxygen. It was harder to run in the sand, as they both experienced the first day of training camp. But, they were both doing a lot better than they were a few days ago. It was just a matter of _why_ they were doing it that confused the cat faced man.

"...Say, what did you think about training with Shuutoku?" Izuki asked in return.

"Well, they were all pretty skilled." He answered honestly, "What about you?"

It took the male a moment to answer, a frown making its way on his face instead, "...Besides my eagle eye, I don't have many strengths. That's not good. I'm a point guard, but I don't know much about basketball."

He stopped running abruptly, almost making Koganei crash into his broad back and bruise his nose. Turning, he faced his teammate fully and for the first time in a long time, Izuki's face was more concentrated than he usually is writing down puns in his notebook. This time, he's serious.

"Shuutoku as a team and as individuals have a set goal. They know what they're doing. I think that's what we're lacking. Same for Teiko. The Generation of Miracles are being called geniuses, but they all have their own way."

"So what? Are you saying that you're worried about us not knowing what we're doing?"

"Exactly."

"But what about Kagami and Kuroko? Out of anyone on the team they seem like they knowing what they're doing...most of the time."

"Kagami is still training his talent even he can't control yet and Kuroko is acting all weird with his basketball. It's just like you said. They know what they're doing the most out of all of us. But, right now, we can't expect them to fully _know_ what they're doing. Plus, we can't just keeping relying on those two forever. We have to fight as well.

"Hmmmmmm" Izuki made a good point. Several points, actually. Koganei lifted his chin up in thought and his eyes closed as if doing so was difficult for him. As if a lightbulb popped up above his head, his eyes snapped open and he whipped his head back towards Izuki.

"What about Takagi-san?" He asked with a point of his finger.

"Eh?"

"Our manager-san! She's been to the same middle school as Kuroko. She must know where it is we're lacking exactly! Plus, she's been more friendly towards coach nowadays. The two of them together creates a sort of indestructible duo, don't ya think?"

" _Koganei_." Izuki called, emphasizing that he has been calling his name several times during his "little" speech.

"Heh, sorry." The cat faced man laughed, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"...Koganei, how long do you think Takagi will stay with us?"

"Eh?"

"If coach gives her the job, how long do you think she will stay with us?"

"Wait wait wait, Izuki! Do you not want Takagi-san to be our manager?!"

"Of course I do!" Now it was izuki's turn to become surprised, his eyes widening at his teammate's accusation. "I just can't help but become a bit wary of some things."

"Like what?"

"Well...like the fact that she just came back from America."

Koganei's feline facial expression suddenly slipped from his face, the cogs in his head turning slowly to try and understand where his buddy was going with this. When he couldn't seem to figure out the message being given to him, he looked at the eagle eye with utmost confusion.

"But...didn't Kagami do the same?"

"He didn't wait till the middle of the second semester, though."

"Well then, she's just a regular transfer student, isn't she?"

"With the ability to devise strategies and numbers of different players?"

"Well…"

"And like you said, she also went to the same middle school as Kuroko. _And_ she was the manager of the Generation of Miracles. But, even so, she and Midorima haven't been communicating with each other. Don't you find that a little weird?"

"Nothing really escapes your eagle eye, huh?" Koganei was actually a little impressed that he managed to figure all of that out on his own, "But then, why the sudden question?"

"Because what if something happened to make her go to America?"

"Like what?"

"That's the thing. I don't know." With that, Izuki turned on his heel and sped up to his normal jogging pace again, leaving a flustered Koganei behind before the male began to run again as well.

' _It's one thing that Kuroko can't tell us what happened between him and his old teammates. But, I feel like if Takagi-San doesn't say anything, then we will only be in danger of repeating history.'_

* * *

 _WHACK!_

"Fuck!" Mia screamed once a branch she had pushed out of the way had come back to slap her across the forehead. "Oh no, Tiger is starting to rub off on me." She moaned as she rubbed her head in pain.

Looking side to side she tried to assess her current location, but of course, couldn't come to any conclusions as to where she was. At this point she wasn't even sure if she was still near the hotel the teams were staying at anymore.

"Crap. WHERE THE HELL AM I?!"

* * *

The sounds of a ball dribbling echoed around the large parking lot that Midorima and Kagami -as well as Takao and Kuroko who were still hiding behind the large bush dividing the sidewalk from the lot- dueled in their own game of basketball. They had been going on for more than 45 minutes, and unfortunately for Kagami, Midorima was currently crushing him. Every move he made was instantly blocked by the megane, as if he already knew that he would make that decision. It hurt his pride, and it showed by the frustration carved on his face as he wiped sweat from his brow.

"Damn!" He growled.

' _It wasn't like this in our game before. Playing one on one against him is just…'_

"I was rather perplexed." Midorima huffed, interrupting the tiger's thoughts, "That you actually thought my only strength would be my three pointers."

Meanwhile, behind the bushes, Takao and Kuroko watched in awe and suspense as Kagami continuously jumped to score a point only for Midorima to shoot him back down to earth again.

' _I knew Shin-chan was good at defense, but for him to surpass Kagami so overwhelmingly?!'_ Takao thought, eyes wide _'But why? There's nearly no difference in their movements. On the ground they even look equal.'_

Quickly wiping sweat off with the collar of his shirt, Kagami glared deep into Midorima's eyes, desperately trying to get any hint on _why_ he was being destroyed. It couldn't just be because he was a member of the Generation of Miracles. He would've been defeated easily a long time ago if it was. So what was making him lose an aerial battle, something that was supposed to be his expertise?

Dribbling at breakneck speed, the redhead swiftly made it around his opponent and tried, once more, jumping with all his might in an attempt to dunk successfully into the basket. However, Midorima managed to jump in front of him and slam his palm onto the orange ball, driving it back into the hard pavement.

"Wha-!" Kagami exclaimed. His teeth grinded together as vexation boiled his blood to a dangerous temperature. "Dammit! Next one…"

"Stop it." Midorima intervened, already turning his back on the stupefied teenager. "It won't matter how much you shoot."

"The hell?!"

"Realize it already, dumbass. No matter how high you jump, it'll be easy to stop you." Cleaning his glasses on his shirt, Midorima continued only when said spectacles were back on his face. "This is because...I _know_ that you'll attempt a dunk."

Any hint of malice left on Kagami's face instantly disappeared and was replaced by the one look he didn't know he needed to express until now. _Realization_.

"Let's go, Takao." Midorima continued, stopped just in front of Takao and Kuroko's hiding spot to reprimand his teammate.

"Eh? So you saw me?" Takao joked. It was obvious he didn't feel sorry for any of his actions.

Green eyes met pale blue ones as Midorima and Kuroko stared at each other, each one uneasy of the other.

"...Don't disappoint me at the Winter Cup Preliminaries." The horoscope obsessed giant challenged, never breaking his gaze.

"...Of course." Kuroko answered back. After a few more seconds of neither man moving- much to Takao's displeasure- both of them broke off in their respective directions, both of them walking towards their own goals without looking back.

* * *

"Haaa. Haaa. Haaa." Kagami breathed hard, his feet digging into the depthness of the sand while his muscular legs pushed him forward with every stride. He needed to clear his mind and to focus on the key points of what happened tonight without blowing up about the fact that he had _lost_ to that green haired bastard. Even the mere thought of their little game together made his feet stomp harder into the soft sand than they needed to.

"Kagami-kun, wait. You're too fast." A mellow voice suddenly gasped right next to him, the body that went with it already starting to stumble at the speed it was trying to keep up with.

"What?! Where did you come from?!" Kagami barked, never getting used to saying that same line over and over again.

"I was thinking about cheering you up a bit." Kuroko answered nonchalantly.

"What the hell?! You _saw_ what happened?! Asshole! How could you?!"

Slowing his pace down considerably to allow the invisible man to run without passing out, Kagami sighed and then coughed suddenly when that scratched the inside of his throat. Really, running the entire week they were at the beach- plus running some more during his match with Midorima and now with Kuroko- was seriously tiring him out. He needed to be stronger than this to defeat the Generation of Miracles.

"You know, you don't have to do that. Cheer me up."

"Eh?" Kuroko looked at his teammate confused. He had only started running alongside him for a few minutes, but with his lack of physical ability, sweat was slowly sliding down his forehead.

Kagami just looked ahead, his face displaying resolve. "I already know why I lost."

* * *

"The reason why I could suppress Kagami?" Midorima repeated Takao's question, not giving any thought before voicing his answer. "Idiot. Obviously because I'm stronger."

Both teens began to walk down the path that would lead them to the main cafeteria for dinner. Trees and large, green bushes littered the area surrounding the path and gave off a sort of otherworldly kind of feel. It fit Takao's characterization of the green haired shooter.

"No, no that." The hawk eyed teenager tried to wave off the statement before realising that this was Midorima Shintarou he was dealing with. And shrugging off the male's selfish display would only egg him on more. "...actually, sure. Let's go with that."

"You heard me. It's because I know he's going to dunk." Now _this_ got Takao interested. "If there's only one possibility, It's easy to match the timing to interfere."

"Well theoretically, yes. But, the double clutch, he should be able to do that. Holding the ball with your right hand while jumping off your left foot. And then, holding the ball with your left hand while jumping off you right foot."

"But he actually can't handle the ball properly with his left hand." Midorima interrupted, sliding his glasses back up his nose for probably the hundredth time that day, "Basically, compared to his right hand, the ball controlling with his left hand is extremely weak. Jumping high doesn't make it an aerial battle. The actions you take in midair are the actual-!"

Suddenly, a loud rustling of leaves captured the attention of both men. Whipping their heads to their right, they saw a pair of slender arms poking out of a rather large hedge. Takao gave more of a feminine yelp than a masculine gasp before slowly sliding himself behind the bigger frame of his friend. Even Midorima was slightly unnerved by the whole display. Before they could conjure up ways to exorcise a possible ghost threat, the arms pushed the leaves aside and revealed a very familiar face to both Takao and Midorima.

"Takagi-chan?!" Takao exclaimed, pushing Midorima out of the way to get a closer look at her.

"Oh, so it was just Takao-kun." Mia simply said, stepping out through the small hole she made in the bush and planting her feet firmly onto the hard path. Brushing off the dirt and leaves from her clothes she spoke again, "I was wondering who was talking. I wouldn't have guessed that I would've been led back on to the path by _you_ of all people."

"Eh? What do you mean?" Takao grinned, snickering at the amount of leaves Mia had stuck in her dark hair.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." She said instead of giving him an actual answer. Her blue eyes looked past his shoulder to stare at the dark green orbs hidden behind black frames. "Good evening, Midorima-kun."

A full minute passed between the three of them in silence. Takao awkwardly looked back between the two of them, thinking he should say something but deciding against it as it may just be ignored anyway.

Finally, the taller teen spoke. "Let's go Takao."

"Huh?" The summoned male looked back at his comrade, who had already started walking away, is surprise. Looking back at Mia's unmoving figure and hesitating for only a second, he turned around and jogged up to his companion before falling into step next to him again.

While Midorima's steps began to fade away slightly as Mia stood in the same spot. Her eyes were still focused on the same place where Midorima used to be and her mouth was in a line as she tried to calm herself at being ignored yet _again_. She tried. And tried. And tried. And _tried..._

 _"There was no such thing as you doing something without a perfectly good reason."_

But fuck it. She snapped.

"MIDORIMA SHINTAROU!" Mia's voice reached the bespectacled teens ears sharply. Even Takao was astonished at the tone and volume of her voice as is still rung in his own ear canal.

Looking over his shoulder, he froze in place when he saw Mia marching and stomping her way over to the both of them, her sights solely set on the green haired teen much to Takao's relief. Her hand was clutched, holding something, and once she was close enough where Midorima could practically smell the anger radiating off of her, she threw the item at his face. Out of reflex, and a desire to not get his glasses broken, Midorima held his arms up to guard him from the potentially dangerous object, but when it began to fall after failing to hit its target, he caught it with his other hand.

It was small and cold, and hard to see well in the dark, but the moonlight illuminated enough of it to make Shintarou's eyes widen slightly.

It was the four leaf clover key chain.

"You told me that you wouldn't ask me anything because you don't believe in me doing something without a reason." Mia began, her voice trembling with a mixture of anger and sadness, "And to be honest, I am grateful you didn't ask me anything more than why I have a splint of my finger. But, you should know that giving me space and pretending like I'm not even here are two totally different things! And they both make me feel totally different feelings!"

She looked up at Midorima with a scrunched up expression that the shooter never saw on her before, even in these few days he has seen her with her new team, she has never worn this expression on her face.

"I wanted to respect your decision to treat me this way because I felt like you would have your own reasons too and that it if I didn't want to be treated this way then I shouldn't have left in the first place. But I am trying _really_ hard right now just to stay in the same space as you without running away so the _least_ you can do is FUCKING SAY 'GOOD EVENING' BACK TO ME YOU ASSHOLE! And if you're not gonna do something as simple as that then you can just take back your stupid keychain because I don't want to try and understand someone who's not gonna give me the time of day!"

With her small rant at an end, Mia began to pant slightly. Expressing so much emotion was something so foreign to her, even now. Her body trembled, but she didn't know if it was because she was cold or because she was still angry. Either way, she managed to make her point to, not just Midorima, but Takao as well.

Both men stood there with opened mouths and wide eyes. Midorima's glasses had, at one point, started sliding down his nose again, but he either didn't seem to notice or was slightly worried that if he moved, she would go off on him again. Takao, although standing to the side and away from the possible drama that he thought would unfold after hearing Mia's scream, was flabbergasted to the point where he had to watch what he said to Takagi Mia whenever he tried to pull a rendezvous situation again.

Once, Mia felt slightly calm again, she breathed in and out slowly, making both men in front of her flinch at the sudden change in demeanor.

"I came out here looking for Tetsuya and Tiger, but I seem to have gotten lost. So will you please point me in the direction of the inn. I would like to head back now." Mia asked Takao in a very smooth and cold voice. Midorima recognized it as the voice she was always associated with back in Teiko.

"Eh?" Takao blinked. He began to open and close his mouth like a fish, trying to figure out what to say to the girl without getting her mad again. "U-Um, just head straight down this path and it should lead you back to the cafeteria."

"Thank you." said Mia. She began to walk down the same path Takao had pointed towards, passing Midorima without even glancing back at him for even a second.

Her hair was still filled with leaves, her skin with tiny fresh cuts from her unplanned hike, and her nerves still sensitive and ready to explode if someone does as much as try to make conversation with her.

But, dammit, she was determined to keep looking ahead and to never look back.

* * *

Kuroko and Kagami walked back to the inn together at around 7:30, an hour and a half late for dinner. They were quite a ways down the beach, discussing Kagami's new motivation for Winter Cup and Kuroko's plan to find his own drive to help out the team and surpass the Generation of Miracles, when Kagami's phone buzzed and they both got an ear load from their coach, demanding where they were and how little she's gonna feed them if they didn't get their butts back to the inn before lights out. After that, and at the request of the phantom man, they walked the two or so miles back to the cafeteria.

It was just as Riko had said. There on the kitchen counter, wrapped in plastic wrap to keep the bugs away, were two bowls of soup. Well, two bowls may have been an exaggeration. It was more of one bowl of soup distributed into two dishes, much to the boys' (mainly Kagami's) dismay. Attached to one of the plastic wrappings was a yellow sticky note, with the message 'Next time, come on time.' written in their coach's handwriting.

The boys grabbed their respective bowls and went around to the main lunch room to find a place to sit and eat and maybe discuss some of their plans to take down the Generation of Miracles more. But, instead of a completely empty cafeteria, they find Mia sitting at one of the tables that belonged to Seirin's team, alone and...asleep.

"Mia?" Kuroko said mostly to himself as both him and Kagami walked towards her snoring figure.

"Oi. Takagi." Kagami tried, setting his bowl down and probing her head with his finger only to pull out a leaf. "What the hell?"

"Mia." Kuroko shook her arm, "Wake up."

This seemed to finally do the trick as her eyes fluttered open ever so slightly. With a yawn, Mia sat up and rubbed her eyes as she stared back at the two men before her.

"Tetsuya? Tiger? Where have you two been? You have to hurry and get your food before everyone else eats it."

"Yeah. It's a little late for that." Kagami answered gruffly, sitting down in front of her and showing her the amount of food that was left or the two of them.

"Huh?" Mia questioned as she stared at the bowl then began to look around her at the other empty tables. "Huh? _Huh_?"

"Everyone seems to have left already." Kuroko answered before she could even ask, "You know, Mia, you should really get some more sleep if you're gonna end up sleeping in the middle of the cafeteria during dinner."

"Why didn't anyone wake me up?" She asked with a pout.

"Probably because Coach knew we would be coming and didn't even bother." Kagami said, gulping down his soup in a matter of seconds.

The trio then sat in silence. Kuroko actually handling his meal like a normal person, while Kagami looked out the large window with his chin in his hand and Mia fumbled with her hands in front of her. All three of them had complications they would rather not discuss. All three of them had plans they had to carry out on their own. All three of them had something they wanted to work for.

Mia looked up from her hands for just a moment to stare at her two classmates in front of her. She pondered on how different they all seemed to be from one another- Kuroko so quiet and invisible, Kagami so harsh and straightforward, and herself something in between- and wondered how things would've been like if they didn't have each other…

Suddenly, she stood up from her spot on the table, startling Kuroko and Kagami, and walked quietly out of the cafeteria. The boys watched her go, eyes filled with confusion before looking at each other, hoping that the other had an explanations for her actions. A few minutes later, Mia came back into the cafeteria holding three different sports drinks in her arms. By that time, Kuroko had already finished his dinner and she immediately sat down two of the bottles in front of them while sitting down and opening up her own for herself.

"We're gonna surpass the Generation of Miracles, right? Together." Mia claimed, holding out her drink to them with a serious look in her eyes. The action was cliched and not something she could imagine any of the basketball boys doing with a girl, but she held out her drink anyway. But she did it just as easily as she would hold out her hand to them, giving them the help they needed to achieve their goals.

Kuroko smiled at the thought while Kagami smirked. They each opened their own drinks- Kuroko needing a bit of time before he can pop off his own lid- and held out their drinks to Mia, holding out their hands for her as well.

"Yes."

"Hell yeah."

With the sound of plastic bumping into plastic, they each drank their beverages in comfortable silence, their pact made and friendship just slightly better than what it had been before.

"Mia."

"Yes, Tetsuya?"

"You didn't use your aunt's old trick to get these drinks for free, did you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, dear friend."

* * *

That night, Mia couldn't sleep again. She knew she had to in order to keep her body from deteriorating again. She even got a small lecture from Kuroko on their way back to their rooms last night. However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to keep her eyes closed. Every time she tried, she saw the faces of each member of Teiko's old team. Not just Kuroko or Midorima's. But, _everyone's_. Including Momoi.

So, instead, she climbed out of her futon without waking her senpai who was sleeping next to her grabbed her notebook, and walked around the inn until she found the door that led to the roof. Of course it was made for working who would come and fix the roof shingles whenever they needed fixing, (and it seemed like that was pretty frequent) but Mia pushed through it anyway and found herself sitting on the room that was tall enough to look out at the ocean. The summer breeze was nice and pleasant, sending wisps of hair flying behind her head. It was a nice place to think, Mia thought, and she needed all the thinking she could get.

What she had said to Midorima she still felt now. She was hurt and slightly depressed knowing that it was mainly her fault for feeling this way. However, her actions needed to be done. Her leaving needed to be done back in Middle school and if this was the price for it, if she had to lose an old friend in order for them to understand even a little, then she would have to pay for it.

"Ugh!" She moaned, "Why do those men stress me out so much?" She scribbled in her notebook the percentages of her teammates for the last day and, she had to admit, she was very impressed and happy with the results. It seemed like if they kept undergoing harsh training like Riko had planned for them, then after summer break, they would be a force to be reckoned with in the Winter cup Preliminaries.

She smiled at the thought of seeing her teammates play together in harmony. It was something she hadn't seen in a long long _long_ time.

Birds chirping caught her attention, and Mia looked up to see the sky lighten slightly on the ocean's horizon indication that a new day was approaching. How long had she been there she never knew. But, she knew that today was a new day and that she was seeing the beginnings of a new sunrise on her own horizon as well.

* * *

"Okay, everyone is here." Hyuuga reported to both himself and Riko as they counted each member of the team to make sure everyone had gathered in front of the inn the next day. They had to count Kuroko three times to make sure he was really there and that he stayed before they moved on. "Alright, let's go."

"THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" The whole team bowed at the inn keeper, grateful for their stay during the week.

"Yay! I'm still alive!" Koganei stretched happily. He, just like everyone else, was glad that the hell week was over and that normal training would start back up again.

The whole team chatted happily amongst themselves as they walked down the street towards the station to take them home.

"I thought I would die many times."

"I still can't get over the fact that Takagi managed to survive coach's punishments."

"We do not discuss such details."

"I just want to go home and slee-"

" _Where_ are you guys going?" Riko suddenly asked them as she stood on the opposite side of the street they had just crossed.

"Hm? To the station?" Hyuuga answered confused at her sense of direction. He really hoped she wasn't getting as bad as Takagi was.

"Why do you think I chose this place for the training camp." Okay good. So she _did_ know where she was going. "'It's' being held here this year."

"Uh oh." Mia snickered next to Kagami, who looked down on her suspiciously. But, she merely smiled up at him innocently and placed her hands behind her back.

It seemed like Izumi understood their coach as well as he flipped open his phone and started to type things quickly. "Today are the quarterfinals for the InterHigh right? Today's game is…"

He never finished his sentence. Instead his eyes, along with the eyes of everyone else on the team, bugged out at the lineup for today's match.

"We're going to watch it now! The National Tournament!" Riko declared excitedly. And she wasn't the only one.

"So? Who are we watching today?" Mia asked Izumi. But, when she didn't get an answer, she just rolled her eyes and snatched his phone away to look at the screen. Kuroko watched as her smiled instantly faded from her face and her eyes widened a fraction of an inch while her face went pale.

 _ **NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL TOURNAMENT MALE BASKETBALL COMPETITION**_

 _TODAY 14:00_

 _QUARTERFINALS 2ND GAME_

 _KAIJOU HIGH SCHOOL (KANAGAWA)_

 _VS_

 _TOUOU ACADEMY (TOKYO)_

* * *

 ** _SEE YOU SOON~!_**


	17. The Sun and The Moon I

**And** **ANOTHER one!**

* * *

 _"Oi, Mia."_

 _Takagi looked up from her job of locating stray balls and returning them to their rightful place in the gym's shed to see the tan and muscular frame of Aomine walking her way, Kise not too far behind._

 _"Good work today, you two." She immediately greeted, her tone as smooth and bored as ever._

 _"Anything for you, Micchi!" Kise swooned. He practically skipped past the stronger male and stood in front of Mia with a large grin on his face._

 _"Oi, Mia." Aomine repeated, pushing Kise out of the way (much to the blonde's chagrin.) and looking Mia in the eye to make sure she was paying attention to him and only him. "Do us a favor and referee a scrimmage between me and Kise."_

 _"Eh?"_

 _"Please, Micchi!" Kise pleaded somewhere behind Aomine, "I want to see how much stronger Aomine is."_

 _"It should've been clear during practice."_

 _"No, I want to know face to face!"_

 _"Participating in continuous exercise without a break can do more harm than good to the body." Mia stated, interrupting the small spat between the two men, "Fatigue and soreness will definitely result in unnecessary scrimmages such as this."_

 _"Pff! Maybe for Kise. But this is me we're talking about."_

 _"Hey!"_

 _"Akashi-kun won't be pleased if he finds out you two didn't rest like he said." Mia pointed out. But, once again, Aomine just scoffed and looked at her with that same trademark smirk he always gave her._

 _"Then we just won't tell him. Come on, Mia. Do you really think we are that bad at playing basketball?"_

 _"Please, Micchi?" Kise asked again. This time, though, he made sure that he was in front of the short haired girl again, slightly shoving Aomine to do so._

 _Mia's blue eyes watched as the two teens, both of which she found herself getting closer and closer to everyday she stayed with them, bicker childishly about who they thought Mia favored in terms of skill. It startled her how quickly their argument evolved into a battle as bad as when they were fighting over who Kuroko had passed the ball to during one of their team scrimmages last week. Sighing, Mia cleared her throat and gained both of their attention, Kise's foot halting against Aomine's cheek while the other party's fist had gathered a bunch of his enemy's golden locks._

 _"If you both want me to referee, then I will do it. BUT, only on the conditions it that you will listen to my scans and numbers that I will attain from this match and you will obey my coaching obediently in order to improve your numbers. AND, it will only be a match where the first person to get three baskets is the winner. I am on a tight schedule myself and can't have too many interferences."_

 _"Yes!" Kise automatically cheered, already fired up for the match._

 _"Humph. Can't be too tight of a schedule if you are actually willing to help out." Aomine challenged, tossing Mia one of the stray balls on the ground so that she may throw it in the air and start the game._

 _"I know it may be hard to understand, but I can always become flexible if the situation interests me." Mia replied as she walked over to the two of them._

 _"Oh? And how does this interest you."_

 _"Well, to be honest. If the both of you didn't already have practice and where in tip top shape right now…" She looked up and stared at the two faces looking back at her with equal excitement. Although the their expressions were completely different. One showed cockiness and calmness, as if he already knew he would win, while the other showed determination and giddiness, getting ready to experience something face first for the first time._

 _"I wouldn't know for sure who would win." She finished while simultaneously throwing the ball in the air so that the two would begin their match and so they wouldn't have paid any attention to what she had just said._

* * *

"How far is it from the gym?"

"About twenty minutes riding the bus."

"I can't believe you hid this from us. At least tell us a little bit sooner, coach."

"If I had told you, you wouldn't have concentrated on the training camp!"

"It's worth watching, though, isn't it? Kaijou vs Touou."

"Yeah, because it'll be a game between the Generation of Miracles!"

The whole Seirin team chatted excitedly amongst themselves on the upcoming basketball match they were heading to see, making the bus they were riding just a little more lively than usual. A couple members, however, didn't seem to be a jubilant as the rest of the crew.

Kagami glared at his reflection in the window as he continued to think of both his plan to improve his skills and the potential beast match he was about to see. Sitting in the back of the bus, with his bag taking up the space next to him, he made sure not to get too involved with the theories his teammates were conjuring up on the quarterfinals. He didn't want to get too fired up so early.

"Kagami-kun." Kuroko suddenly poked his head up in one of the two seats in front of the red head, startling him like always.

"Jeez! What do you want?!" He demanded a little more rough than usual.

"Before we left, Midorima left me a message to deliver."

"Huh?"

* * *

 _"Thank you." Kuroko said to Midorima. He had just watched Midorima take down Kagami with ease, showing him what he needed to improve on at the same time. Midorima didn't seem too surprised at the sudden act of gratitude though._

 _"Don't be stupid. I did nothing that deserves a thanks." He responded curtly, "Jumping is really the only thing he can do."_

* * *

"'He's really cursed with idiocy.'" The blue haired teen recited, ignoring the multiple tick marks appearing on Kagami's face from the insult.

"That bastard." He growled.

"'Don't lose until I defeat you.'" Kuroko continued, "He also said that."

The sudden change of tone in Midorima's message took Kagami by surprise, but he quickly found himself grinning wickedly at the thought of going against the glasses wearing jerk again.

"Heh. As if I would lose. That idiot."

After seeing the excitement flare up in the red head's eyes, Kuroko smiled and sat back down properly in his seat. To his right sat Mia, who has been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the entire bus ride. Or should he say, familiarly quiet? It was like she had regressed back to her former self in middle school, her eyes staring off into space as she thought about other important things.

It was one thing seeing Midorima during the trip. But to see two more at the same time in the same week might be pushing her dangerously close to the edge. Especially since one of them had more than just a bone to pick with her she was sure.

"Mia?" Kuroko questioned, watching as she whipped her head fearfully towards her close friend thinking that it was someone else who had called her. When she found that it was just the phantom man, she felt like she could breath normally again.

"I'll be fine, Tetsuya." She reassured. "It's just a match. It's not like I'll be facing either one of them today."

Kuroko stared at her for a couple more seconds before nodding and patting her gently on her head.

There was also something else that Midorima had told him that was occupying his mind, and, to be honest, it was something he didn't know how to feel about just yet.

* * *

 _"Kuroko." Midorima had said, stopping the young teen just before he ran off after Kagami. "I won't tell Akashi about Takagi's return just yet. But you and I both know that the more you and your team go against the Generation of Miracles, the more she gets involved with us, the quicker it will be for her father to find out she's back. So don't do something stupid and reckless that will make her want to leave again."_

* * *

"Takagi." Kagami called over the wall of seats between the three of them, "Do you have a portable charger I can use?"

"Oh yeah, of course I do!" Mia answered while scrambling in her bag to pull it out. "But what happened to yours, Tiger?"

"I don't have one, I just have a normal charger."

"You know, you should always be prepared and bring things in case the coach decides to take a several hour detour to watch your rivals in a quarterfinal basketball match. Don't you ever read manuals?" She teased, relishing in the way Kagami to snatched her green charger away from her grasp, snapping at her to shut up but always failing as she moved her hand at the last second. She laughed and almost fell out of her seat due to all the movement, but finally gave in when Riko yelled at the both of them to stop. Mia merely just pouted while Kagami laughed at her in return for getting most of the yelling.

It was moments like this that made Kuroko doubt that Mia could ever go back to how she was before in middle school. But he knew he shouldn't underestimate a lot of things. Especially the the Generation of Miracles...and Mia's father.

* * *

"WOW!" Koganei exclaimed for everyone on the team, "So this is where the nationals are being held!"

The whole Seirin team stared in awe at the inside of the basketball stadium. Thousands of people- whether they were spectators, crew, or actual members of the teams currently playing- filled in the seats and court. Hundreds of lights hung from the ceiling and shined down on the glossy court, showing the important and memorable parts of today's games, making sure no one missed a thing. Even the court itself was much more grand and professional looking than the other courts the team has played in the past. The whole building was like a shot made for the big screen. Everything was so surreal and they weren't even playing today!

"Coach, what about the game we're here to see?" Hyuuga asked once he noticed that the teams playing on the court at the moment were very different from the ones they had come for.

"It's after this one, so it shouldn't take long." Riko responded as she checked her phone again to be sure, "About fifteen minutes I guess."

Mia looked down on the two teams competing against one another. Both were completely foreign to her, complete strangers fighting each other. And yet she could easily tell, even from a distance, the amount of power, agility, and skill they had compared to her team. This was what they would be against if and when they play in the Winter Cup.

"Kuroko." She heard Kagami come up on the left side of her friend while she took his right. She peered over and stared at the giant from the corner of her eye, waiting to see what he thought of today's match, "Who do you think will win?"

"...I don't know." Kuroko answered hesitantly, "It's a first that the Generation of Miracles are going against each other in an official match."

Kagami seemed to understand, nodding his head in affirmation. Then, he looked above Kuroko's head at Mia, who quickly looked forward in an attempt to draw herself away from his questioning eyes. When he knew she wasn't going to say anything unless put in a position to do so, he decided to ask her upfront.

"Takagi Mia?" He watched as she jumped a little bit at sudden use of her full name and glanced at him warily. "What do you know?"

"Me?" She asked innocently, pointing at herself, "I um...uh...mmmm…" Once she found that Kuroko was staring at her questioningly as well, she sighed and rubbed her sore neck. "That's the thing, I don't know."

"Eh?"

"How can you not know?" Kagami demanded, "You're the one who usually has a pretty good idea of who is going to win a game or, if not, then at least the first half."

"Oh no, don't get me wrong, I do know who's gonna overpower who." She said in defense, "After all, the whole reason Ryouta-kun even started basketball was because he admired Aomine. Because of that, they often played games against one another and dragged me into them no less, so I have a pretty decent encyclopedia of both of them in terms of stats and numbers. And, every single game, Ryouta-kun would always lose."

She paused a moment as the whistle for the final score was blown and the game in front of them officially ended.

"But I've never seen a match between them where they were both at full power. Not only that, but I expect that each member of the Generation of Miracles has gotten exceptionally strong during these past few months. So your guess is as good as mine at this point."

* * *

On the east side of the gymnasium stood the locker rooms for the Kaijou high school team. Each member of the team was concentrating on stretching and what to do during their match against Touou academy, allowing the whole room to become quiet as they worked.

"Aw shit! I'm so nervous!" Hayakawa Mitsuhiro suddenly shouted as he jumped down from one of the benches, "IMALLFIREDUP!PRACTICEISFINALLYGONNAPAYOFFNOW!IWILLGOOFFFULLPOWER!COUNTONME!"

"HUH?! The fuck?!" Kasamatsu shouted back, not able to distinguish whether or not what he said was really Japanese or not.

"Like I said!" Hayakawa tried again, "IWILLGOOFFFULLPOWER-!"

"LIKE HELL WE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU SAY WHEN YOU SPEAK SO FAST!" The captain scolded, punching his teammate in an effort to get him to shut up quickly before he got a headache.

"SORRY!" The overly enthusiastic player kept going, this time with blood dripping from his nose. Unable to deal with him anymore Kasamatsu called over his shoulder.

"Hey, Moriyama! Do something about this idiot!"

"More importantly, Kasamatsu…" The teen named Moriyama Yoshitaka said, changing subjects quickly, "West side, third row, first seat. Did you see? She came…"

Kasamatsu stared in confusion, waiting for him to continue and preparing himself for the possibility that another important person in the basketball industry has shown themselves. With all the crap about the Generation of Miracles and the threat of the Seirin team, it wouldn't surprise him if another professional figure came up.

Unfortunately for him, it wasn't either one.

"A super cute girl!" Moriyama blushed, "I'll play for her sake today!"

"PLAY FOR US YOU FREAK!"

"Senpai!" Kise called from the other side of the room.

"What now?!"

The blonde merely grinned as Kasamatsu's veins pulsed dangerously on his forehead, "I got some snacks from a fan girl. Do you think I should eat them now? Or could they be poisoned?"

"EAT THEM AND DIE!" He bellowed, throwing a random basketball at the model's face with all his strength. He hoped it would knock his underclassman out long enough until their game started, but it only left him with a red nose.

So much for the room being quiet.

"Hey, you guys ready? It's almost time." Their coach called as he entered the locker room. Every member of the team quickly hushed up as they looked at what their coach was wearing.

He wore a black suit, probably old but freshly pressed to make it look just a little more new, and a white shirt with a red tie, the shirt buttoned all the way to his fat neck. His hair was parted and combed and shined against the light, showing the amount of gel needed to keep it all from going wild. It was a desperate effort to look just a little more handsome than what he normally does, and it was obvious to everyone in the room who he was comparing himself to.

"Get into spirit."

'Why are you trying to compete with the handsome coach of Touou?!'

"We're going with the plan we discussed in the netting earlier. Just stay focused." The coach continues, ignoring his students' hidden fits and giggles while Kasamatsu sat on the bench, completely giving up on the idiots he has to acknowledge as his team.

Breathing in and out to make sure he doesn't blow another dude before the match, the captain sat up from his position and marched up to the freshman who Annie's him the most.

"Kise," he started, "Call me five minutes before the game."

"Ah, okay." The blonde responded obediently, watching as he Senpai walked out of the room, "I guess he's nervous too." He observed.

"Well," the coach said, catching Kasamatsu leaving as well, "That's not all just for him."

* * *

" _You have been forwarded to an automatic voice message system. At the tone, please record your message. When you have finished recording, you may hang up or press one for more options._ "

The familiar beep of voice mail rang in Momoi's ears for the fifth time. But, she wasn't going to leave a message for the jerk who absolutely refuses to come to the stadium on time. No matter how tempted she was to give him yet another annoying lecture to listen to over the phone.

The door to Touou's locker room opened up and Imayoshi appeared before the pink haired female. His eyes, although always closed, showing a hint of concern.

"How's it going, Momoi? Did you manage to get through?" He asked.

"No, not at all." She sighed, pocketing her peach pink phone in her skirt poker again as she went back inside with the captain.

Surrounded in a semi circle around their coach, the Touou team looked up at their manager expectantly only to get a shake of her head in return.

"Aomine really takes it easy." Imayoshi commented.

"WHO CARES ABOUT THAT DIMWIT!" Wakamatsu yelled, angrily.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" Sakurai randomly apologized in the background.

"He's late to every match! No matter what we do!" The fuming blonde continued to seethe, "And he'll be late again today, too!"

"But it's rather troubling today," Their coach, famous for his thick locks and pretty face, argued back, "We can't afford to start without him against this opponent."

"Yo." Another voice suddenly greeted, shocking everyone as they only knew one man with a voice as lazy and as bored as that one.

"You called?" Aomine, sweaty and grinning with excitement, said. Everyone stared at the teen, frozen as a chill ran down their spines at the way the young player moves passed them, a little more danger in his step.

"Looks like you're warmed up already." The coach was the first to speak, watching Aomine rummage through his bag for the correct uniform he was to play in tonight.

"Yeah. Well I do admit that if I was missing today, it would be bad."

"Geez! Making us worry every single time!" Momoi scolded fruitlessly. It wasn't like she hadn't done this before so it wasn't like Aomine was gonna listen to her for once.

"Kise is our opponent, right?" He said instead, "There's no way I would be late today."

Once he had changed into his jersey, Aomine slipped his team shirt back over his head, ignoring the slightly sweaty smell it held.

"I've been looking forward this whole time, to beating him." Momoi stood still as she felt a strong pressure in the air around Aomine, her lungs finding it harder and harder to breath. The look in his eyes was nothing like she had seen, not even in their time as childhood friends. It was something almost inhuman.

" **Because he's one of the very few players I can go all out against.** "

* * *

Kasamatsu sat on a bench out in the hallway, just a ways down from his team's changing rooms. His breathed deeply from his nose and then out from his mouth multiple times, each time trying to draw him closer and closer to a sort of peace of mind. It was obviously not working.

"Senpai." Kise called as he made his way to the spot his upperclassman was, fulfilling his duty as a messenger, "Five more minutes."

"Ok, thanks." Kasamatsu gratefully responded, thinking he would leave right after.

But, Kise never left. He watched as his Senpai continued to breath, preparing himself for the battle ahead of them and voiced the questions that had managed to find a place in his head.

"You've been doing this since we've started in the InterHigh. Why is that?"

Kasamatsu stared at his teammate in disbelief before changing his expression into one of indecisiveness. Does he dare tell his annoying, cocky, and seamingly perfect underclassman? Or does he trust him for once?

The look on the model's face answered all of his questions, though, and with a sigh he decided to answer Kise's as well.

"Last year," he began, "we had the strongest lineup in history, with all our members aiming for the championship. Do you know what happened?"

"If I recall, you lost in the preliminaries?"

"That was because of me." Kasamatsu's grip tightened just a little bit more as Kise's eyes widened slightly, "At the crucial moment, with just a one point difference, I made a miss pass and allowed them to turn the tables. The tears of my seniors and the blame of the alumni made me consider quitting basketball. But, the coach made me the captain."

"That's why you have to do it."

"At that time I decided, I didn't want to redeem myself, nor did I want to be saved. I decided that we would win the next InterHigh. That would show my resolve and give me meaning as a captain."

Kise stared at the sunken head of his captain, knowing that, although he couldn't see it, there was a fire starting in his eyes. His stuffed his hands back inside his pockets and turned his back on him, not walking back just yet.

"Well, my goal is to get my first victory against Aominecchi."

"I see." Kasamatsu responded, knowing fully well what the relationship between the Kise and that Aomine player was.

" **Well, I'll win. Even if it kills me.** "

The captain smirked at the statement, getting up from his spot on the bench to walk back to the locker room with his companion.

"I see." He knew who he was directing that message to. And he was genuinely grateful for it.

* * *

"Here, Kuroko." Kagami said, his long arms stretching past Mia's face to hand the smaller teen a water bottle from the concession stand.

The Seirin team finally managed to find seats for everyone to sit in and watch the game. They were all very close together too, making it easier to exit the stadium together as well once the match was over. However, it was only about a minute after they had sat down when Riko sent a handful of boys, Kagami included, to go and fetch refreshments for everyone. Needless to say, it wasn't something the redhead was happy about considering all of the times he had to buy refreshments for everyone during the week.

Kuroko grabbed the bottle from kagami's hands and thanked him before he snapped his arm back and pressed a cold bottle against Mia's face next, making her squeak.

"Here." He said as he carefully dropped a bottle of pink lemonade in her hands.

"But, Tiger." She complained, "I told you I didn't need anything. Now I have to pay you back."

"Don't give me that." He replied, planting himself back down in his seat and making an effort to show that he wasn't moving again for a while, "We all know you're just as anxious about this game as we are, so just drink that and calm yourself down a little."

Mia looked at him then at her new, pink drink. Then, back at Kagami and then back at her beverage. This pattern only last several more seconds before she stopped (partially due to a tired neck) and frowned at the red head.

"No."

"...eh?"

"No. I refuse." She repeated, stuffing the drink in Kagami's arms and crossing her own in front of her as she laid back in her seat. "I don't like being indebted to people and I don't have any money to pay you back so please just keep that for yourself."

"I don't like lemonade." Kagami growled growing slightly annoyed by her childish behavior and placing the drink back in her lap, "Plus, I got this for you whether you had money or not so just keep it, damn it!"

"No!" She gave it back

"Drink it!" He pushed, but her hand met his and was pushing back against him trying to give her the drink again. Compared to his monstrous arm strength she could only do so much.

"I refuse!"

"I know you want to!"

"Well you're right about that, but I still don't want to have to pay you back!"

"I don't care, just drink it!"

"Nooooo!"

"WOULD BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP! YOU'RE MAKING A SCENE!" Hyuuga shouted over their bickering which had resulted in some sort of judo position while trying to push the pink drink into the other person's space. Quickly, they let go of one another and muttered an apology before looking away from each other.

Kagami fished out his phone from his pocket and hurriedly texted an angry message to the phantom man who had refused to get involved in their spat.

Kuroko's phone vibrated at the sudden mail and he pulled out his own phone to read it as he continued to sip from his cold water bottle.

 _'Why am I even sitting next to her in the first place_?!' It read.

 _'Because I wanted you to try and be nice to her._ '

' _DID YOU JUST SEE WHAT HAPPENED WHEN I TRIED TO BE NICE TO HER?!_ '

 _'Yes. You're doing a great job.'_

Kagami glared at Kuroko over Mia and hoped that he be able to burn a hole in the passing prodigy's head since he refused to look the tiger in the eye.

Meanwhile, Mia continued to stare at he dazzling pink beverage. She didn't even know that her throat was dry until Kagami had given it to her and even now, the dryness was becoming more apparent the longer she looked at it. She really didn't like being indebted to someone, but it seemed like she couldn't get out of it when it came to him.

She nudged the top of the bottle against Kagami's arm, getting his attention. When the male looked over and saw she was handing the bottle to him, again, he scowled but made sure to keep his voice down.

" _Seriously_? Look, you don't have to drink it, but I don't want to hold on to-"

"No, Tiger. I need help opening it." Mia quickly interrupted him. Lifting her hand and showing her shiny splint. "Remember?"

Kagami stared for a bit before the gears turned in his head and he took the bottle from her hand, more gently than before. Twisting the top off with a snap, he handed both the bottle and cap back to her and she immediately took giant gulps of the contents inside.

"Don't think I'm not gonna pay you back for this." She said after downing about half the bottle in a matter of seconds.

She didn't say anything else so Kagami didn't feel like he had to either. But, his phone vibrates, indicated the arrival of a new text and he lifted the screen in front of him to read one of the most annoying things Kuroko has sent to him yet.

' _See? Told you you're doing great._ '

"UWA! THERE THEY ARE!" The crowd stood up and cheered loudly, suddenly excited by the teams coming out after the long wait.

The white jerseys of Kaijou greatly contrasted to the dark colors of Touou, their steps matching their emotions at the moment as well. Two teams, both alike in power and strength, will collide in just a matter of minutes.

"I won't lose, Aominecchi." Kise stared, managing to find the ace of the Generation of Miracles before he could find him.

"My! You sound confident, Kise." He replied, "Sorry to disappoint you, but you will. I mean, come on, did you ever win against me?"

"Today I will." Kise smirked, "Somehow, my desire to win couldn't be stronger."

The two captains, Kasamatsu and Imayoshi, walked to the center of the court and gripped each other's hands in an act of good sportsmanship, giving each other the good luck they need.

'They've got that aura.' Imayoshi examined, 'As expected of them.'

Both teams took their spots on the court and on the sidelines. Mia and the others heard the mic above them crackle before the announcer's voice boomed across the entire gymnasium.

" _ **THE SECOND GAME OF THE QUARTERFINALS, KAIJOU HIGH SCHOOL AGAINST TOUOU ACADEMY...WILL NOW BEGIN!**_ "

* * *

 **Annnnnnnnd I'm out again!**


	18. The Sun and The Moon II

**BEWARE! This is my first basketball game that I am writing so please be patient with me if some things just don't make sense. Ok, I'm done! HAPPY READING!**

* * *

" _Wow!"_

" _Kyaa~"_

" _Amazing!"_

 _The girls of one of the many gym classes Teiko held swarmed just outside the track field, clasping each other's hands and their own hearts as the sight of Kise bouncing a soccer ball on the top of his head sent them flying._

" _What's going on?" a quiet girl asked one of them as she noticed the spectacle while on an errand for a teacher._

" _They're juggling a soccer ball in gym class!" One of the more excited redheads squealed, "Kise-kun and Tanaka-kun from the soccer club are still going at it!"_

" _I see." The other female replied, immediately being ignored by the girl who answered her question as she went back to her own fangirling. The strange girl with the short black hair and blue eyes peered over the fence at the blonde whom everyone seemed to favor the most out of the two. She's heard of him throughout the school for some time now, and, seeing him in all his glory, she had to admit that he was quite a handsome person. But, what caught her attention the most was his form. If this was his first time dribbling a soccer ball, it sure as hell didn't look like it._

 _Kise, however, didn't seem all too thrilled or excited over his dominance against the soccer captain. In fact, he looked almost bored, his hands in his pockets as he effortlessly bounced the ball against his head, then knee, then foot._

' _Something like this is easy to do if you just watch how it's done for a while.' He thought, 'Actually, I find it strange that there are guys who can't even do this.'_

 _Finally, it seemed like he had enough. He kicked the ball high in the air, much to everyone's surprise, and positioned one foot behind the other._

' _The teacher said we'd get an A if we managed to juggle the ball a hundred times. Time to stop.'_

 _KICK_

 _Swish_

 _GOAL!_

" _O-Okay. Kise-kun gets an A." The teacher mumbled as the teen sighed while walking past him. His ignored the screaming fans, the curses from those jealous of him, and the shocked gazes of the others who were afraid of him._

 _He even ignored that strange black haired girl who kept her deep blue eyes pinned to his back as he walked away from everything he felt didn't matter to him._

' _I'm so bored.' He thought the next day after school, 'I like sports, but I master them immediately. And I soon run out of opponents. I don't really care who it is, but I want to find someone who can fire me up.'_

 _The familiar squeaks of the shoes against the floor echoed in the distance as Kise came closer to the indoor gym. Balls dribbled inside and calls were made to other players. But, the young teen didn't seem to notice any of them._

' _Isn't there someone out there so amazing that I can't hold a candle to them? If there is, where are they? Come on out!'_

" _Heh. Like it would be that eas-!" Before Kise could finish his own sentence, a hard object collided with the back of his head, sending him stumbling forward about a foot._

" _OUCH!" Cradling his now injured cranium, he glared at the object which had been accidentally thrown at him, identifying it as one of the round, orange basketballs that belonged in the gym._

" _Sorry!" An unfamiliar voice apologized behind him. Kise looked over his shoulder to see a teen, around his age, with slightly darkened skin and a rather tall frame jogging towards him. When he noticed who it was that had been the victim of a stray ball, his dark eyes lit up in recognition._

" _Well, if it isn't the famous and popular Kise-kun!" He laughed, much to Kise's annoyance._

" _So what?" He challenged as he tossed the ball back to him roughly. The tan male merely just laughed again, apologized once more, then turned around and ran back inside to join his team._

' _Basketball…' The blonde wondered, 'I haven't tried that yet.'_

 _His curiosity taking over him, Kise slowly trotted over to the open gym door, immediately smelling the stench of sweat radiating off the walls from the amount of players exercising. The sounds of balls dribbling became much louder and Kise almost had to cover his ears at the sudden increase of volume. But, instead, he looked around the room and became just a little more interested in the whole sport the longer he stayed._

' _Oh, right! I heard our school has a pretty strong basketball club...'_

 _Suddenly, a blue blur rushed passed Kise, sending a gust of wind over the teen. As he tried to comprehend what had just happened, the blonde looked over just in time to see the same male who had fetched the stray ball that hit him dodging and swerving around other team members with ease. Before anyone knew it, he had made it to the basket and had dunked the ball so hard it rattled the backboard, threatening to take the whole basket down with him._

 _Kise watched with wide eyes, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up on end as tremors rattled his body in waves. He was so entranced by the god before him that he didn even notice his school bag, which he kept secure on his shoulder, fall down on to the ground with a thump._

" _W-Whoa…"_

' _That speed and that movement. Can I replicate that?! No way... I found him.'_

 _ **I found that amazing person!**_

" _Hm?" Aomine noticed Kise still standing by the gym entrance, his mouth now hanging open in some odd replica of a strange fish he once saw in an aquarium, "Still need something?"_

 _Realizing that he was talking to him, Kise shut his mouth and clutched his hands into fists beside him. A smile slowly made its way onto his face, quickly changing into a wide grin as he made his first step onto the gym floors._

" _Could I...Could I join the basketball club?"_

* * *

"THE GAME IS STARTING!"

Immediately, the whistle shrieked across the entire stadium and the basketball was thrown up in the air, sending the starters from each team jumping after it. As quickly as the game started, it was already in the hands of the white team, Kaijou, their number 8 grabbing the ball and handing it to Kasamatsu with ease.

"KAIJOU HAS THE BALL!"

It was all moving so dangerously fast that you had to not blink in order to catch everything that happened, every little pass, every little steal.

' _Both teams' aces, Kise-kun and aomine-kun…'_ Riko thought on the sidelines, trying to determine each teams strengths and weaknesses from her current position. ' _Frankly I believe Aomine is the stronger one.'_

Just a row above Seirin's coach, Kuroko watched the match intensely, his pale blue eyes following the way Kaijou's captain dribbled the ball with precision and skill.

"Mia?" He asked softly, not taking his eyes off the court.

"I'm not positive since I haven't had the chance to examine Kaijou's team like I did with Shuutoku." she answered, already knowing what her close friend was looking for, "But I can say that that player has a 5% chance of dribbling down the court and making the basket himself, 10.68% chance of passing to any other player…"

"Kise!" Kasamatsu's voice was heard despite all the yelling and cheering in the stands. The orange ball was through through openings made from the other team and landing smack into the palms of Kaijou's freshman Ace.

"And an 84.32% chance of passing to Ryouta-kun." Mia finished, eyeing the way Kise took his stance in front of Aomine himself.

"Kise vs Aomine?!" Kagami gasped beside her.

"Yup." she affirmed, "Right off the bat..."

Kagami noticed the tone she used in her voice, and glanced at her from the corner of his eye before looking back down at the court with a frown, "So? What do you think will happen?"

"Ryouta-kun will succeed in taking the low, but very effective 38.2% of passing Aomine…"

"HE SLIPPED AWAY!"

"But even if he didn't, even if he took a path with a much higher chance of success…"

"IT'S A STEAL! TOUOU HAS THE BALL NOW!"

"Aomine will always get him back with a 98.7% chance of success…"

* * *

"Guh!" Kise growled as he glared over his shoulder at the towering figure of Aomine as he snatched the ball right from under him. The dark player just grinned evilly, dribbling the ball in front of him as if to mock him and his attempts.

"Naive as always." He said, "Did you really think you could get away with that?"

With a flick of his wrist, Aomine tossed the ball roughly to Wakamatsu and went about his way down the court, disappearing before Kise's eyes before the blonde could get a good read on what he was planning to do.

Kaijou's number 8 instantly made his way to block Wakamatsu from anymore movement towards the basket, his face filled with determination that didn't match his actions.

' _He looks reluctant to guard_.' Wakamatsu observed. He then decided to change his strategy and whipped the ball under the basket to Sakurai, who immediately tossed the ball towards the basket.

"I'm sorry!" He randomly apologized to Moriyama who had been blocking him. But, the playboy wannabe didn't pay him any attention.

' _What a quick release!_ ' He thought instead, watching as the ball made it's way to the basket as if in slow motion.

"REBOUND!" Hayakawa shouted. He shot up like a rocket towards the basket, getting ready for the sphere to bounce of the edge so that his team can take the offense once again. When the ball only swished through the net instead, he merely gaped.

"WHAT?!"

" _3 POINTS! TOUOU TAKES THE LEAD!_ "

There was no break or pause. Kaijou took the ball that had intruded in their basket and began to pass to one another back and forth before it finally stopped in their ace's hands again.

' _Eh?! Kise-kun again?!'_ Riko looked on in shock. And she wasn't the only one. Just above her, Mia's eyes hardened at the game's development.

' _If he continues like this…_ '

Mia couldn't even finish her alarming thoughts before Kise made his next move, quickly jumping up in the air and aiming the ball just like Sakurai had done only moments before. The move didn't go unnoticed by the poor soul either.

"EHHH?!" Sakurai cried out, "The hell?!"

"Isn't that Sakurai's quick release?!" Wakamatsu added, equally surprised at the ace's power.

The only one who didn't seem to be too surprised by Kise's skill were his own teammates...and the terrifying ace of the enemy's team.

"I see you're still just as good at copying people's techniques!" Aomine hollered, jumping up just a tad bit later than Kise and yet still managing to touch the ball that was already airborne, "BUT THAT'S NOT ENOUGH TO WIN!"

The ball managed to continue to fly towards the basket, but because of Aomine's interference, it only managed to touch the ring before it bounced off and back into the Touou's hands.

"The advantage is on our side." Imayoshi grinned as he bounced the ball calmly, thinking that they would be able to at least take the first half easily.

He was wrong.

Kasamatsu, out of nowhere, swept up the ball from under him, taking the third year by surprise. Without missing a beat, Kaijou's captain took his stance and shot the ball back towards the basket at the three point line, easily making it in.

"Sorry." Kasamatsu said sarcastically, "But I'm not nice enough to let things go your way so easily."

" _OHHH! KAIJOU IMMEDIATELY TIES THE SCORE!_ "

"Okay defense! We can't let them score!"

"Okay!" The Kaijou team responded, suddenly fired up.

"Follow me! I can keep this up forever!" Said Kasamatsu, "Just keep going!"

Behind him, Kise walked closer to him just a little bit guilty, "Senpai…"

"BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN LET THEM BEAT US UP, KISE!" The captain shouted, giving Kise a foot to the head.

"I'm sorry~!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Touou's coach, as well as Momoi, watched the game in silence. Only taking time to speak when events, such as the one that had just taken place, caught their interest.

"They took a risk." Said the coach, "What a captain. He isn't hasty, but as long as he doesn't stop _him_ they won't control the game."

* * *

Aomine smiled as Kise ran up to him once he was handed the ball. Almost as if he refused to let anybody else take him on. It was just like he wanted.

"I see you have reliable senapis." Aomine commented, "'I can't do it alone, but together we can make it.' Huh?"

Kise's brow twitched at the hidden insult towards him and his team's way of handling things.

"Looks like you're thinking about defeat now. Did losing make you have a change of heart?"

Aomine's dribbling started to become erratic and he was preparing himself for another sprint towards the basket.

"Makes me want to sleep."

" _ **Huh?**_ **I never said such a thing.** "

Aomine halted just before he made his move, unable to go any further past Kise's sudden perfect defense.

' _This guy!_ '

"I admit that I respect Kurokocchi's way of thinking, and I also feel the urge to see Kaijou win. But right now I don't care what's right or wrong!"

" _Could I...Could I join the basketball club?"_

"I'm not mature enough to play basketball logically or while suppressing my instincts."

Kise looked up and Aomine saw a spark in his eyes.

He smirked, "Go ahead and try!"

* * *

Mia and the others continued to watch in suspense as the game went on, not knowing how the game was gonna end or _who_ was gonna end it. It left Mia breathless and nervous.

' _Physical strength wise, Ryouta-kun isn't losing out to Aomine.'_ She thought while bringing a hand to her chin, ' _But with Aomine's speed and way of using it, can he really stop him?_ '

Only a beat passed before Aomine dribbled the ball once more to his left hand, and then he threw his arm out as if to give the ball to another player.

"A PASS?"

The teen moved quickly, though, and before even Mia could comprehend Kise's chances of getting the ball back, Aomine managed to fake the pass and slip through the cracks of Kise's defense. She could hear the whole audience gasping in awe at his skill and her hand clenched around the lemonade bottle in her lap.

' _What a strike back!_ '

But, out of nowhere, Kise appeared before Aomine again, shocking both him and Mia at his sudden position in front of Touou's ace again.

"Amazing!" Mia heard Koganei exclaim in front of her, "He managed to stop him at that speed?!"

But Mia knew better than to think that _that_ was all Aomine was capable of. Still revving at the same speed as before, the basketball player jumped up formlessly, aiming for the basket, with only one hand holding the ball to do so.

"A formless shot?!" Kagami said next to her. Mia sighed and closed her eyes as she sat back in her seat. There was always a 99.7% chance that Aomine's formless shots would make the basket, so thinking, _hoping_ , for Kise to make that .3% was just so…

"AMAZING! KAIJOU HAS TAKEN THE BALL BACK ONCE AGAIN!" The announcer hollered overhead, making Mia sit up straight in her seat once again with wide eyes. She couldn't believe her ears. And now that she was seeing, she could believe her eyes either! Right there in front of her was Aomine staring at Kise as he bumped fists with his senpais. The ball was far off behind the dark player, indicating that not only had it not reached its mark, but it had obviously been blocked.

"Holy SHIT!" Mia shouted, ignoring the stares from strangers around her at her vulgar language, "He actually did it!"

She whipped her head to the side and shook Kuroko's arm vigorously to get him to notice something that he actually saw with his own eyes, "Tetsuya! Did you see it?! Did you see?! Ryouta-kun actually stopped Aomine! Aomine _can_ be stopped!"

"Yes, Mia." Kuroko tried to answer, but the rough movements made it hard to distinguish what he was saying, "Don't worry. I saw it."

" _Tiger_!" She then turned to Kagami who was grinning, both from Kise's block and Mia's reaction to it.

"Hell yeah I saw it! But, you know, you should really watch you language." He said, repeated what she had said to him during training camp.

"But I just...it _happened_! And now I'm just...GAH!" The girl wasn't making any sense verbally, but everyone knew what she meant and how she felt.

And they all felt the same way too.

* * *

"Well that shocked me." Imayoshi panted while running to his spot on defense. "First time I saw someone stopping Aomine one-on-one."

Aomine himself was surprised and a little shaken by the move, wiping the sweat off his face with his jersey as he eyed the blonde. But, only a _little_ shaken.

"Not bad." He said as he walked passed Kise, "Never thought you could pull it off."

The comment, though, actually irritated the blonde more than it elevating his ego, "Who do you think played one-on-one with you everyday and lost everyday? I'm the one who knows you the best!"

"Heh? I see."

Things were certainly getting interesting.

* * *

" _Aominecchi, play against me!" Mia always heard him shouting everyday, always dragging her by the arm with him so that she could referee their matches. After helping them out with their first match they played against each other, they stopped asking her for her permission to referee their other games, probably thinking that she would okay with it even though she never said she was. It didn't help that Aomine always said yes to all of Kise's challenges, a sly grin on his face as his blood boiled._

 _But, not matter how close Kise got to the basket, he never made a single basket against the other player, always losing 3-0 everyday._

" _Crap!" He shouted when Aomine blocked yet_ another _ball from getting into the basket. This time, however, once his feet touched the ground, Kise crumbled and cursed as his foot throbbed._

" _Another one!" He yelled anyway, "One more time!"_

" _Absolutely not." Mia said, her voice lower than normal and managing to sound venomous, "Kise-kun, did you do the cool downs I instructed you both to do after each and every one of these scrimmages you two have been having this past week?"_

" _...ummm"_

" _Of course not." She answered herself, "Because of that you are now threatening to injure yourself further and possibly prohibiting yourself from playing important matches. So no more basketball tonight for the both of you. Sacchan!"_

" _Yes?" Momoi saluted by the open gym door. She would always hang around with Kuroko and the others after school for a while then would come back to pick up Aomine and walk home with him after hearing about the scrimmages Mia was helping them out with. Tonight was no exception._

" _Take Aomine with you and make sure he does his cool downs, please." Mia instructed. She walked over and handed a few sheets of paper to the pink haired manager as well, "Here. I also made copies of the numbers I obtained from today's scrimmage match. If you would like to create new regiments for Kise-kun and Aomine then feel free to use these to help you out."_

" _Mi-chan! This is wonderful! Thank you!" Momoi gratefully accepted, glomping Mia's small figure in a tight and loving hug._

" _Yes yes." the ebony haired girl patted the back of the manager's head, not willing to make a full commitment and hug her back, "I leave Aomine to you then._ You, _however."_

 _She glared back over her shoulder at Kise who was still sitting on the ground tending his hurt foot. The moment her ice eyes pierced his own, he found himself tense up and gulp._

" _You're gonna have to deal with me tonight."_

" _Tch. Why him?" Aomine grumbled before being dragged out of the gym by Momoi. The young girl had already started talking his ear off the moment they left the gym._

" _These numbers are outrageous, Aomine-kun!" Momoi shuffled quickly through the papers Mia had given her and read the little notes she had time to write on the sides, "She even wrote down how hard you were on Ki-chan the entire time! Seriously, how about going a bit easier on him? Ki-chan is a beginner after all."_

" _Go_ easy _?" Aomine repeated as if trying out the taste of it on his tongue. When he didn't like how that sounded, he turned around to face Momoi fully so that she knew what he was gonna say was serious, "As if I could afford that."_

* * *

"-san. _Momoi-san_." Touou's coach continuously called until Momoi finally lifter her head and faced her teacher.

"Eh? Ah, sorry!" She apologized.

"Did you give Aomine-kun the data about Kise-kun?"

She shook her head and smiled sadly, "I'm sorry. He just wouldn't accept it."

* * *

" _Don't do such stupid stuff, Satsuki."_

* * *

The coach sighed, "Then I guess our normal defense is no good either."

"No. That'll still be fine." Satsuki insister, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she looked back out on the court. "I gave the data to the other four. All the data from the past...and _future_."

* * *

After finally getting Takagi to calm down (most of the work going to Riko), Hyuuga watched carefully as Touou and Kaijou's position switched to the black team going into defense.

' _Kise managed to stop Aomine,_ _but Touou still has another area of strength. And that's their defense based in Momoi's predictions.'_

He glanced over his shoulder at Mia, whose face lit up with slap marks on both sides of her face. If he thought about it, her ability was somewhat similar to Momoi's ability. It made sense since they both helped out the basketball team back in Teiko. But, who had it better? Who could read the future further?

It made Hyuuga wonder how Takagi Mia saw the game.

* * *

Imayoshi watched as Kasamatsu looked back and forth across the court looking for a team member to pass the ball too. He knew those movements. He saw them over and over again on the video tapes Momoi had made for the team to watch before the match the week before.

' _Usually, if he can't pass it to the ace, he will fake it to another player.'_

"Moriyama!" the male called, but Imayoshi didn't budge. He made sure to keep a heavy defense of the player. A captain vs captain battle.

' _Then after that usually follows a drive.'_

Sure enough, Kasamatsu moved forward quickly to try and pass the towering third year, but to no avail. Kaijou's captain grit his teeth in annoyance.

' _Next would be a turnaround!'_

Kasamatsu swiftly moved side to side until he finally got a clear view of the basket.

"From that, a fadeaway." Imayoshi recited, getting ready to jump and slam the ball away from their territory as planned.

"You're right." said Kasamatsu, jumping before Imayoshi was even fully prepared.  
But that doesn't matter!"

Imayoshi looked upon his movements in shock. How could this be?! Even when he had read his movements and was ready to intercept them?!

Although able to catch the man off guard, Kasamatsu saw his fingers graze the skin of the ball as it flew in the air, changing the trajectory just a tiny fraction and making it bounce off the ring instead.

"REBOUND!" Hayakawa shouted, "THIS TIME FOR SURE! REBOUND!"

Sure enough, the energetic teen snatched the ball from Touou's clutches and slammed his feet back onto the ground full force.

"THIS GUY IS FRICKING ANNOYING!" Wakamatsu, one of the two who were unfortunate enough to encounter Hayakawa's offensive rebound, bellowed.

From Hayakawa, the ball was then passed to Moriyama for real this time. Immediately, Sakurai moved to block him from trying to get it close to the basket, but the lady loving man already made his move.

His form was odd and awkward, and even had a horrible spin on the ball, something everyone on the court was thinking. But Moriyama's face didn't seem to notice their strange stares. In fact, the moment the ball managed to fall straight into the basket, without even touching the ring or backboard, those stares became ones of confusion and awe.

The horn marking the end of the first quarter rang shortly after that last basket, making everyone in the audience groan at the sudden break after such an exciting play. Even the players on the court were slightly disappointed at not being able to continue. Nevertheless, they each went their separate ways, drinking water and drying themselves off with towels while shaking hands and bumping fists with those who were unable to play during the first quarter.

"Nice! You all did great!"

"You looked great too, Kise!"

"Yeah, you managed to beat Aomine." Moriyama said next to the blonde, "With this we might actually win."

"Hmmm?: He hummed, squirting some water into his mouth, "I wonder about that. I mean, if it were really this easy, then I would be playing the lottery."

And on the other side, in Touou's territory, Aomine hid underneath a white towel, his smile becoming the only visible thing showing.

* * *

 **Did all that make sense? Was that alright? I hope so because I'm probably gonna continue writing chapters today, tomorrow, Monday, possible Tuesday, Wednsday and so on until the 6th because I'm transferring schools and I currently have nothing to do until my new school starts. PLUS I really want to get this game out of the way so that I can start THE WINTER CUP SAGA! Things are gonna heat up with Mia and the others in the future guys, I promise!**


	19. The Sun and The Moon III

**HOLY CRAP IT'S BEEN A WHILE! HI! HI! HI! DON'T WORRY! I'M NOT DONE WITH THIS STORY YET! I JUST HAVE LIFE TO DEAL WITH, SURPRISINGLY! Anyway, have another grammatically horrible chapter!**

* * *

" _Haaaah. What is this?" Kise asked himself as he sat against the gym wall late at night. He had just lost to Aomine_ again _and was ordered by Mia to stay behind with her and rest while she tore him a new one for neglecting his exercises she had given him. He had only managed to dry off his sweaty hair with a towel for about a minute before a smile suddenly made its way onto his face._

" _He's so strong! But, it's still frustrating! What is this feeling? Happiness... or frustration?"_

 _Mia watched with a cold bottle of water in her hands as the blonde continued to mull over his recent match against Aomine. Walking over to him, she placed her back against the wall and slid down to sit next to him, surprising the model by the sudden close proximity._

" _Here." Was all she said as she handed his drink to him. He looked at the drink then back to her. He repeated the pattern once more before actually taking the beverage, hesitantly, and giving her his thanks._

 _The two sat in silence after that, neither one really knowing what to say to the other. There was a loud, excited and sociable person to her left while there was a quiet, reserved and rather bossy person to his right. There wasn't much to say to a person who was that much different than you._

 _However, Mia took the initiative._

" _Would you like for me to show you something amazing?" She asked._

" _...eh?" Kise didn't know where such a random question came from. He looked at her in confusion, taking in all the details the distance between them allowed him to take. Her short, raven hair glistened slightly under the gym's large lights. Her eyes were cast downward, and yet he knew they were looking further ahead than anybody else he knew. Even by the way she sat down gave her an air of total grace, even when she was on a gymnasium floor that had been beaten and dirtied with the shoes of different athletes._

" _You insist on continuing you little matches with Aomine, correct?"_

" _...yeah?"_

" _Well then I will ask again, would you like for me to show you something amazing?"_

" _Wait, but, what do you mean 'something amazing'?" The blonde stood up from his position and dragged the small white towel over his neck to soak up the streaks of sweat falling down there. "For all I know, 'something amazing' could just be an excuse for you to drag me into one of you 'special' regiments again."_

 _Kise remembered the horrifying experience during his first few days on the basketball team when he and the other newbies were given a special regiment to introduce them to the wonderful world of basketball. This regiment was created and designed by Mia herself and, after discussing it with Akashi, she made sure to incorporate some military worthy exercises which would help increase the boys' techniques by 45% in just a matter of days. Needless to say, out of the 100 members who signed up at the beginning of the semester, only 30 remained at the end of the week._

" _Your overall physical score is about 15% lower than Aomine's. That much will probably never change no matter how many times you two play against one another. You and I both know that." Mia said as she stood up from her spot as well. "However, if you ever want to come_ close _to defeated him, you must increase your agility by 20.89%, your shooting by 10%, your defense by 15.43% and your mental ability by 78.64%."_

" _Hey! Why is my mental ability so high compared to the others?!" Kise asked, offended, however, Mia simply ignored him, much to his annoyance._

" _At this point even Kuroko-kun has a better chance at defeating Aomine than you do."_

 _The player jerked and his whole body spasmed with anger. Wasn't she trying to help? If she was, she wasn't doing a very good job at showing it._

" _So?" Mia asked for the third time, her blue eyes locked with Kise's golden ones. He felt a breeze brush over him gently, and, although he knew that it most likely came from the open doors, it felt as if it was the power of the girl's eyes which had imprisoned him in an icy hold, daring him to back away from her proposal. Like he had a choice._

" _Would you like for me to show you something amazing."_

 _Even if he did have a choice, the offer was much too tempting._

" _Fine." He said, "Show me."_

* * *

The whole crowd continued to buzz with excitement even after about a minute and a half of just sitting down and waiting for the teams to start playing again on the court. Mia glared down as the empty enclosure with her chin resting snugly inside of her palm and her pink lips coming up in an ugly pout. It was like she was _trying_ to burn a hole into the ground from her spot in the stadium.

"Oi." Kagami nudged her with his elbow, making her arm lose its balance on the armrest and making her fall face first before catching herself, "What the hell are you doing?"

"What are you talking about? I'm just thinking." Mia answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Really?" He asked, a little peeved from the way she spoke to him like he was a child, "'Cause it looked like you were constipated."

" _You_ look like you're constipated." Was the immediate response, which in turn resulted in the redhead grabbing her cheeks and pulling them opposite from one another till Mia seized his arms to keep him from going further.

"Kaijou's leading…" Hyuuga commented, pretending as if he was unaware of the commotion happening behind him. "To be honest, I'm surprised."

"Yeah." Izuki agreed.

"...I have one question." Teppei looked over at his fellow teammates to make sure they were all paying attention to him before he crossed his arms and looked out at the court again, mainly at the white and blue jerseys of Kaijo. "How in the world did you beat _that_?"

"Urk!" The whole team gulped, unable to form a coherent and clear answer at their victory against Kaijo high during their practice match in the spring. Even Kagami was disturbed by the sudden question and immediately let go of Mia's cheeks, sending her flying back in her seat with a snap.

"Actually," Kuroko spoke up for the first time in a while, catching a few people around him off guard as they forgot that he was sitting next to them in the first place, "Aomine-kun said he was serious, but he's the type who has to run warm. And looking at him, I would say it's about time."

And it was true. Once everyone got a good look at the tan player, they could see how far away he was from the rest of the world just by his half lidded eyes. His breathing seemed stable, even after running so much during the first quarter. He seemed too stable, too quiet. It was like he was hiding a bomb inside of him that was ready to explode any minute.

"You were thinking the same thing too, weren't you, Mia?" Kuroko lowered his voice so only the black haired girl could hear him. She rubbed her red and slightly swollen cheeks instead of answering him, but her eyes were still focused on Touou's ace. Then on the court. On the scoreboard. And finally, on the player she hoped would take this game.

" _ **THE SECOND QUARTER WILL NOW BEGIN!**_ "

* * *

"OKAY! LET'S DO THIS! LET'S DO IT!" Hayakawa shouted almost instantly, slapping his cheeks hard repeatedly until the rest of his team thought he was going to lose all feeling there later on. "I WILL GET THE REBOUND! I'M ALL FIRED UP! LET'S DO THIIIISS!"

"GAH! THAT GUYS HAS BEEN SO ANNOYING!" Wakamatsu shouted back. He looked over his shoulder at his captain and waited for a confirmation from the upperclassman, "Right?"

"Nah, you're pretty annoying too." Imayoshi responded, causing the blonde teen's jaw to drop in horror as he placed his hand on his shoulder not-so-sympathetically, "Actually, you're pretty similar to him."

"NO WAY!"

"But anyway, it's no fun looking at an excited opponent." The captain said with his signature smirk on his face. The referee tossed him the ball and his spun the orange sphere several times in his hands, already looking from one end of the court to the other, "Let's take it little by little."

The whistle screeched and for a fraction of a second, everyone in the stadium was quiet, waiting for the first move. Imayoshi quickly dribbled the ball down the court to their opponents' basket, already jumping for a three pointer. However, Kasamatsu, despite his shorter frame, jumped simultaneously to meet the opposing captain before he could get a clear shot.

"No you don't!" Kaijou's captain bellowed, his fingers almost touching the skin of the ball. As if he predicted this, Imayoshi's smirk grew into a full grin, his eyes peering through the frame of his glasses as he, literally, looked down at the third year. Swiftly, he ducked back down in front of the still airborne Kasamatsu and tossed the ball to Wakamatsu who, in the midst of the distraction, managed to get underneath Kaijou's basket.

' _A fake?!'_

Within seconds, Wakamatsu threw the ball against the backboard and it scored neatly through the hoop, giving Touou another two points to add to the thirteen they had before.

"HERE IT COMES! THE SECOND QUARTER STARTS WITH TOUOU!"

* * *

"Woah…" Koganei mumbled, barely able to contain his disbelief.

"I know." Riko said, frowning upon the scene that had just went down, "They've been running around just as much as Kaijou during the first quarter you would think that they had lost at least a little bit of steam. But, they're all managing to keep going at the same pace they had at the beginning. They're like well oiled machines!"

"Hmmm. Mia-san, what is your take on this?" Teppei called over his shoulder as he tried to break down each individual move that flashed before him. When he got no answer, he turned around in confusion and saw Mia was indeed looking at the game, but not at the teams that were gathered at the base of Kaijou's basket. Instead, she was staring at something in the opposite direction.

"Mia-san?"

When he turned back around to see what she was staring at so intently, his eyes widened at the amazing speed of a certain ace who was running across the court. His tan legs taking huge strides towards the one and only person he was focused on beating today.

* * *

"Calm down, everyone!" Kasamatsu shouted over the cheering. He slowly began to bounce the ball down the court while holding a number one in the air like always, "One shot! We'll take it back for sure!"

He looked at each individual player on his team scattered around the court. It just didn't make any sense. They hadn't changed any of their players nor had they been running less than they were, and yet Touou is managing to stay, not only calm, by well energized. Were they holding back on them during the first quarter?

Unable to allow himself to think any more on the matter, Kasamatsu dribbled the ball past two of touou's players, looking for an opening to pass to Kise. Suddenly, Imayoshi appeared in his line of sight so quickly that he had to take a step back to avoid running into him and giving himself a foul.

' _This guy!_ '

"I already know you're fast that's why I won't let you go!" The glasses wearing teen declared.

Kasamatsu clicked his tongue before quickly throwing the ball through a small opening between players and into Kise's hands. When Imayoshi didn't make it a point to even watch the ball leave his sight, Kasamatsu started to feel a little uneasy.

"Also, here's a small warning…"

A flash of black invaded Kise's vision before he could even take one step towards the basket. His golden eyes blinked as he adjusted to the sudden image, gasping when he realized it was Aomine himself who had made his appearance in front of him.

' _So fast!'_

"No matter who's the opponent, Aomine won't lose. He's the strongest."

* * *

Crimson orbs widened as Aomine took his stance before Kise, arms ready to attack at any moment.

' _This pressure!'_ Kagami thought _'Even I can feel it all the way from up here!'_

Mia's body tensed up suddenly and her lungs began to burn as she unconsciously held her breath. Every step, every minute, every second sent her mind in overdrive and made her blood pound in her ears. She knew their moves. She knew how they would react. But she still found herself jumping at every little play that happened in this game.

A light touch and a feeling of warmth enveloped her left hand suddenly, startling Mia temporarily before she snuck a glance to find its source. Somehow, in the midst of her frustrations, she had latched her hand on the sleeve of Kuroko's light shirt, knuckles most likely white from her grip. On top of it, however, was the shadow player's own hand. He kept his face serious and focused on the court but gave Mia comfort when she didn't even know she needed it.

' _Dammit. It's just like back at Teiko…'_

She cut herself off and whipped her eyes back on the movements of her former teammates and classmates. She watched as Aomine snatched the ball from out of Kise's hands. How he managed to get past the blonde despite his center of gravity. How he jumped from his spot on the court and swiftly throw the ball into the net while simultaneously winning his team one free throw. The crowd was deafening and she even caught Kagami jerk forward in his seat in surprise from the corner of her eye. The referee's whistle screamed and the confidence of Kaijou's team further plummeted. Meanwhile, Aomine's form just stood there with a nasty smirk plastered on his face. It made Mia's blood run cold.

She snatched her hand from Kuroko's gentle grip and instantly wrapped her fingers around his palm before he could take it away. He fingers dug into the back of his hand and for a moment she worried that he would say something to make her loosen up or, even worse, let go.

He didn't say anything. Instead, he kept his eyes forward and Mia felt his own grip tighten just the slightest around hers.

* * *

' _Please miss. Please miss. Please miss.'_

The members of Kaijou's team all chanted in their heads as both sides lined up around the basket to wait for Aomine to make his free throw. The tan player only bounced the ball three times before looking up and making his shot, feet barely leaving the floor. The familiar _swoosh_ of the ball going through the net felt like a gunshot wound to Kaijou instead of a point towards the enemy's score.

"IT'S A TIE!"

"TOUOU CAUGHT UP WITH IN AN INSTANT!"

The orange basketball was snatched up by one of Kaijou's men and immediately tossed to Kise in a blur, the latter catching it with ease.

"AGAIN?!"

"IS KAIJOU PLANNING TO KEEP ON GOING WITH KISE?!"

"Ignorant folks." Imayoshi said from just behind the freshmen duo. He was still targeting Kasamatsu but his eyes were obviously focused on other things, making the shorter senior a bit angry from the way he underestimated them. "Your Kise-kun might be good at mimicking, but that's all. The biggest reason he can't win is…"

" _ **He doesn't have his own weapon. It's impossible to beat Aomine with plain old basketball.**_ "

Kasamatsu stared at the megane with a new found annoyance. The man was already annoying to begin with, but these constant comments about him and his teammates were really getting on his nerves. He sighed then straightened up as he looked his opponent dead in the eye, even if they were closed.

"Hey," he began, "aren't you often told that you have a bad personality?"

Imayoshi chuckled, "Ouch! So harsh all of a sudden?"

"You're the one who's ignorant. Acquiring techniques by mimicking means he's learning. In other words he's growing." It was Kasamatsu's turn to give his enemy a mischievous smirk.

" _ **Your story has one mistake. He**_ **has** _ **a weapon**_ **.** "

* * *

 _Kise watched as the longer hand of the clock tower in front of him moved past another minute, his golden eyes serious while his foot tapped impatiently beneath him. His body fidgeted more as even more minutes passed and he even managed to cross and uncross his arms a total of five times before deciding that the best place to put his hands were in his pockets._

" _What's taking her so long?" He mumbled to himself. His head turned to his left and right as he tried to spot the familiar head of black of the girl who had invited him to go out with her._

'Please meet me around xx Station at 1:00 this Sunday.' _He remembered her instructing him that night they were both left in the gym. To be honest, he hadn't expected her to personally invite him to go out with her during the weekend when she told him she would show him something. If he didn't know any better, he would've thought this was a date._

 _His black rimmed glasses slowly slid down his nose and, with slight annoyance, he used his finger to slide it back up the bridge of his nose. While his eyesight wasn't bad enough to have to wear the spectacles everyday, Kise always thought he carried another type of charm while having them on. It was further proven when he smiled at all the shy and blushing girls walking past him. However, he couldn't help but wonder how Midorima was capable of dealing with them sliding down his face twenty-four seven._

" _Kise-kun." A smooth and icy voice called from his left._

 _Groaning loudly in relief the blonde whipped his head to face Mia, anger obvious on his face._

" _Took you long enough! Why did you invite me out if you...uh…" His voice died down as he took in the young girl's whole form. Once he realized just what it was that she was wearing, his jaw lowered slowly and his eyes widened to a size he didn't even know he was capable of reaching._

 _Mia's short hair was tucked under the hood of an oversized dark gray sweatshirt. Accompanied with the top, she wore equally gray sweatpants that bunched up around her calves and black and white nike shoes with one green and one pink sock peeking up around her ankles. To complete the look, she wore a pair of black sunglasses over her deep blue eyes and a medical face mask._

" _I'm sorry for arriving late. The bus was running slow today."_

 _Oh god. He could already hears the whispers increasing around them. He actually took the time out of his one free sunday from modeling and school to hang out with someone who looked like they were about to rob a convenience store. Crawling under a rock and dying seemed like a much less painful way to spend the day._

" _You..I just...what...the..._ hell _-!" Kise began, his mouth running dry from the amount of time it had hung open from the shock of such a change of events._

 _However, he couldn't finish his sentence before suspicious cops showed up._

" _Excuse me! You over there with the hood and face mask!" They called over as they crept closer to the spot where both Kise and Mia were occupying. Mia's body flinched at the nearing voices and quickly grabbed Kise's wrist as she made a run for it. The blonde cried out at the sudden movement and held onto the stylish brown hat which sat on his head so that it wouldn't fly away as he was literally dragged through the crowds of people in the street._

'This girl is crazy!' _Were the only thoughts that ran through his head as both of them ran towards their destination at a speed that almost made him tumble and face plant into the ground if it was for Mia's iron grip._

'And how fast is she anyway?!'

* * *

" _KAIJOU HIGH TAKES A TIMEOUT"_

The buzzer sounded and the members of Kaijou's team all marched back towards their respective bench while Touou moved in the opposite direction.

Kise sighed and moved an ice pack on the back of his neck to a more soothing position. Aomine had just managed to block one of his throws _again_ and it was become incredibly disturbing how his evil smile was beginning to get burned into the model's brain.

' _As I figured, Aominecchi is amazing.'_ then, _'Looks like it'll be troublesome if I don't strengthen my resolve soon…'_

Meanwhile, Kasamatsu eyed Kise from the seat next to him. He watched as his underclassman's breathing became heavier and more labored.

' _He's sweating like crazy. He must be pretty worn out. As expected, the title "Ace of the Generation of Miracles" wasn't for show, huh?'_

Kaijou's coach seemed equally as concerned for Kise as the rest of the team was, but he tried his best to hide it in order to give his team the push they needed. Kneeling in front of everyone, he went right to work.

"Listen, quick plays are their specialties!" He instructed, "Don't get dragged into their pace! Also, inside-"

"Coach…" Kise's voice was low, but it was easily heard over the overweight man's own powerful voice. All eyes instantly fell on him.

"The thing I talked about before the game. I still want to do it after all."

* * *

Mia wished she had the power to shoot lasers out of her eyes. The longer she looked at the scoreboard, the lower she sunk in her seat and the sharper her glare seemed to get. She ignored the jab she got from Kagami about the funny way she was beginning to sit and instead drained the last of her pink lemonade before continuously gnawing on the top of the bottle.

The hand holding Kuroko's began to fidget nervously and erratically next to her, moving side to side in a weird fashion that she was surprised her friend didn't object to. Overall, Mia was beginning to look like a pouting child rather than a grown teenager as she watched the game unfold. She would've even taken it up a notch and place her feet on the back of the seat in front of her if Hyuuga was currently occupying the seat and she wasn't afraid of the upperclassman's wrath. She's seen it unfold against Teppei. She knew it wasn't a force to be reckoned with.

"A tie, huh?" Izuki said loud enough for everyone to hear. The crowd's cheers in the stadium was beginning to grow too loudly for even Mia to handle.

"But now's the start." Hyuuga answered, "It won't be easy to stop Touou now that they're all fired up."

Mia's eyes swept across the empty court and onto both teams who seemed to be wrapping up their opportune moments of coaching. Her blue orbs then scanned and focused solely on Kise's slouched over figure. She didn't think it was possible, but her frown seemed to have deepened even _further_.

" _Oi_." A gruff voice called, followed by a sharp burst of an icy cold bottle on her thigh.

"Heee!" She let out an unfeminine squeal and reflexively kicked out in front of her from the feeling. She quickly turned to the side and gaped at Kagami who looked just as surprised as she was, "What the hell, Tiger?!"

"What do you mean, 'What the hell'? Your leg was bouncing up and down so badly I thought you were about to take off!"

"What? No it wasn't." She countered, knowing full well that what Kagami said was reasonable due to her very tense and high strung nerves at the moment.

"Yes. It. Was." Taiga growled out. It was obvious that he didn't want to play this game with her. "Just calm down for a few seconds. We've played against Kaijou before. Kise isn't done just yet."

Mia was a little shocked at the way Kagami had voiced his thoughts to her. If she didn't know any better, she would've thought that this was his way of making her feel better. After all, this _was_ the second time he told her to calm down, following the pink lemonade he had given to her before the beginning of the match. Maybe she was just getting nervous too easily.

"I know." She responded back to him, sitting up straight again and looking back at the court as the whistle blew, signaling the end of the time out. "I know."

"Well, _I_ think the _both_ of you need to 'calm down'." Another voice seethed from in front of the two freshmen. Goosebumps crawled up the arms of both Kagami and Mia as Hyuuga slowly twisted his head to face the both of them, his eyes shut while his smile showed more of a killing intent than genuine happiness. It was then that Mia realized that when her leg kicked out from Kagami's cold drink, it had hit the back of their captain's seat. And from what she remembered from the experience, she kicked it pretty hard.

"Don't you agree you two?"

"...we're sorry."

* * *

 **Once again, I must leave! Be patient, my precious followers! I promise thee that I shan't abandon this story and I will try my best to update more chapters soon!**


	20. The Sun and The Moon IV

**BOOM! LOOK AT THAT! ANOTHER CHAPTER AFTER JUST 24 HOURS!**

 **ENJOY~!**

* * *

" _Wait a minute, Micchi!" Kise gasped out through his burning lungs. They had only been running for a couple of minutes, but they were able to get far enough away from the police who wanted to question them. In fact, they were so far away that they had managed to pass about eleven different clothing stores, five restaurants and the large movie theater that had just opened up not that long ago._

 _Mia didn't halt her movements, however. Instead, she just gripped Kise's wrist a little tighter and dragged him around yet another corner. It was only when they were beginning to exit the shopping district that her feet slowed down._

" _We're here." She said, finally dropping his wrist so that he could plant both hands on his knees as he caught his breath. It wasn't fair. Kise was the one who was on the basketball team._ He _was the one who busts his butt everyday running up and down the court at full speed for hours. So why was it that Mia seemed to have so much more stamina than he did?_

" _Micchi~" He whined behind her, "Why are we all the way out here?"_

 _The raven haired girl lowered her face mask down to her chin so that she could have a moment of fresh air after all that running. She didn't attempt to move her sunglasses, but Kise could just imagine the seriousness in her eyes as she said, "I told you. I'm going to show you something amazing."_

" _Yes. I remember." He said. Then, "But what's so amazing about…"_

 _It was then that he actually took the time to look at where they had ended up exactly. After zipping past and weaving through streets and crowds of people, Mia was somehow able to get them to the entrance of a tall metal archway. The details weren't all that magnificent, but it's simplicity was enough to emphasize the average sized playground which lay before it. Filled with colorful slides and old, but well taken care of, equipment, any kid would've been excited just by standing at the spot they were at now._

" _...a park?" Questioned the blonde with a small sparkle in his eyes at the sight. He may be fourteen years old, but he was still a kid at heart._

" _This way, Kise-kun." Mia called over from his right. He looked over and saw her standing there, waiting for him patiently while she placed her mask on her face again. "And do be discreet while we are here. It would be troublesome if we were to get caught today."_

" _Eh?! Micchi what are we doing here?"_

" _I'm showing you something amazing."_

 _Kise grumbled at the lack of response from his companion, his shoulders slouched as a pout made his way on his face. Nevertheless, he followed her small form which was straight with surprisingly broad shoulders for a female. It was like, despite the height difference, she was a powerful force that always knew where to go._

 _He wouldn't mind following her like this for ages if he was given the chance to._

* * *

The buzzer echoed in the large gymnasium as the game started once more after Kaijou's timeout period. Even though all the players currently on the court were worn out and sweating like crazy, they kept the ball moving. Kasamatsu was the one who held the ball first, shouting things to his teammates while trying to keep an eye on all of Touou's members. When he made eye contact with Imayoshi- the latter doing a magnificent job of ticking him off just by the mere sight of him- he quickly tossed the ball to Kise.

"HERE IT COMES!"

"HOW MANY TIMES IS THAT?"

"KISE VS. AOMINE!"

Aomine smiled impishly, his body ready to block any and all of Kise's movements. What he didn't expect, however, was for Kise to calmly look him in the eye as he bounced the ball back to another one of his other teammates.

"Huh?" Touou's ace looked confused. It was even more baffling when Kise didn't even make it look like it was a new kind of play at all. He was even already on the move towards his team's basket, completely ignoring the shocked look on his former teammates face.

"Hey, hey." Aomine called, his face reverting back to the evil look it usually carried. Kise stopped somewhat to look at him as he continued, "Giving up already?"

The blonde said nothing though. He just kept running.

"A STEAL!"

"A TURNOVER!"

Touou's team had, just as quickly, stolen the ball from Kaijou. The orange sphere had easily landed back into the hands of their ace, his face twisting into a very bored expression on the lack of challenge currently being held by the enemy.

' _Tch, how bothersome.'_ He thought once Kise made his way to mark him, _'He seemed like he didn't have any will to fight me. And now look at him…'_

He watched as Kise's golden eye shined brightly with a determination and fire that probably would have made other players unable to think or play properly.

But Aomine wasn't just "some other player".

' _He doesn't have any will to lose.'_

"You know," Aomine began while simultaneously dribbling in front of his opponent almost mockingly, "No matter what you do, it won't change ANYTHING!"

It only took took steps to get past Kise's poor defensive wall and make his way towards the basket. Without any fight from the other side, it was almost too easy for the tan player as he jumped to dunk yet another point for his team.

"SO FAST!"

"GO AOMINE!"

But, unfortunately for Daiki, Kaijou had other strong players willing to put up a fight.

With a strong push Kasamatsu jumped right in front of the taller player, his body roughly colliding with Aomine's and sending him back to earth. The senior knew that was gonna hurt in the morning.

"CHARGING! BLACK #5!" The referee whistled.

"WHAT?! A FOUL?!"

"THE BASKET WON'T COUNT!"

Kasamatsu groaned loudly before sucking it up and getting up on his own two feet again. He didn't miss the hate filled glare generated by the Aomine towards him. Instead, he only clicked his tongue and sent his own glare back at him.

"What's with that attitude after knocking someone down, first year brat?" He spat before marching back towards his own team.

"AS EXPECTED OF OUR CAPTAIN!" Hayakawa shouted rather than cheered, "NICE GUTS!"

"SHUT UP!"

"But that scared me…" Moriyama joined in, "Can we really do it?"

"It's not about if we can or cannot." Kasamatsu looked back at all the worried glances of his teammates, "We _will_ do it! Believe in our ace!"

* * *

"Mia."

The manager in training hummed in response as Kuroko's voice reached her ears. She had somewhat calmed down after Hyuuga's warning to her and Kagami and was currently playing with the boy's fingers which were still in her grasp in an attempt to stop her leg, or any other part of her body, from fidgeting.

"Do you know what Kise-kun's trying to pull right now?"

Her hands stopped completely and she let out a long, and breathy sigh.

"...yes."

"Hm? What? What's he doing?" Kagami asked, listening in to their conversation. Whether it was rude or not didn't really bug him. Especially when it came to the Generation of Miracles. The two former Teiko students didn't seem to mind his prodding, though.

"Something I taught him to do years ago." Mia answered. The redhead may have been crazy, but he couldn't sworn the girl next to him almost looked...sad.

"It's about time he actually took my advice seriously."

* * *

"WOAH!"

"AOMINE'S FULL POWER!"

"HE'S UNSTOPPABLE!"

Kise panted heavily behind Touou's ace, watching him as he jogged ahead of him. They both have been playing with the same amount of energy, and yet it seemed like Aomine could still go on for hours.

' _Ah, damn...he's so frigging cool.'_

The blonde slowly breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth. The action was supposed to help his breath steady as he prepared for the next play, but every breath he took felt like it was forcing his throat close, making it even more difficult to breath.

' _An absolute unique style that no one can copy. I started basketball because I admired him. Although I can do plays as soon as I see them, I could never do his no matter how hard I tried.'_

' _But I actually knew why I couldn't.'_

' _She was the one who showed me after all…'_

* * *

" _Micchi~" Kise called to the girl in front of him who had not said anything since they had entered the park a few minutes ago. He had to admit, the park was a lot bigger than it seemed at the front gate. They had walked around the first play set only to find several more behind it, all filled with different types of jungle gyms, swings, slides, tunnels and tubes, and sand pits._

" _Micchi~" He tried again once they passed the monkey bars._

" _Kise-kun."_

" _Why are we at a park? Where are we going?"_

 _Mia stopped then suddenly. Kise had to catch himself before he crashed into her smaller frame, his hat and glasses tipping over slightly before he caught them both with his hands. He stared at the girl's unmoving figure, confusion filling his brain._

" _Over there." was all she said. She lifted her arm and pointed towards a crowd of children and teenagers alike who had gather around a fence, watching the spectacle from beyond the barrier._

 _Kise squinted, trying to see what it was exactly they were all watching and laughing about. His eyes widened slightly when he realized that they were all crowding around a street ball court and that they were cheering for whoever was playing inside. His excitement grew and curiosity peaked at the sight._

" _Keep yourself hidden. We need to blend in." Mia commanded next to him. He looked down just in time to see the assistant manager take the two strings of her hoodie and tighten it so that the only thing that popped out were her sunglasses while the rest of the hood scrunched up over her head. He watched as she tiptoed to join the crowd of kids and he knew that if an adult or another cop were to see her now, they would more than likely think that she was attempting to kidnap one of the children instead of join them to watch a street ball game._

" _Micchi, we really need to talk about your idea of 'blending in'." Kise sighed, but a small smile tugged on the corners of his lips as he walked up to be with her._

 _The duo made it to the fence and were a little shocked to find that they couldn't find a free space to watch the match themselves. There were too many heads, small and big, blocking their path. After several attempts, they finally managed to find a small opening near the edge of the fence to watch the game._

 _However, they weren't even watching for thirty seconds before Kise's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates._

" _AOMINECCHI?!" Kise cried out, earning a good_ WHACK _in the face courtesy of Takagi Mia._

" _Kise-kun! I told you to be discreet!" She hissed in the same tone she used on him whenever he didn't listen to her instructions during practice._

" _But, Micchi~" He replied in a funny voice as he pinched his red nose in pain. Tears stung the corners of his eyes from the impact but he still kept them focused on Aomine's movements._

 _He was dribbling a ball while being surrounded by about five different children, all different ages and sizes. Back and forth, left to right, Aomine was merciless against the children and teens as they all ran to try and catch up with him and groaned unhappily when he dunked the ball in the basket. But, despite that, they were all laughing and clapping._

 _Even Aomine._

" _Why is Aominecchi playing street ball with these kids?" Kise asked after watching for a while, "Does he do this often?"_

" _Sacchan keep me updated whenever Aomine does any basketball outside of practice so that I may keep his numbers updated. Apparently he's been coming here every other sunday for the past few months playing with everyone here." Kise flinched when he saw a dark aura slowly start to surround Mia. He couldn't see her eyes but he knew that he had never been so glad that sunglasses exist and were currently hiding them. He didn't want to see the malice that was hidden in them at the moment._

" _Honestly, why does he make things so difficult for me? Why can't he just sit still for_ one day _to recuperate?"_

" _...Is that why you're disguised like that?"_

" _Yes. Aomine doesn't know that Sacchan has been texting me details of his little play days. If he knew I was on to him, then he would stop telling her about his outings and I won't get to purposely overwork him during practice for disobeying the regimen I create for him."_

 _Kise gulped at the info Mia had just ground out to him. He made a mental note to start doing what she said during practice for a while in fear of getting the same ugly punishment that Aomine apparently gets. Her normal regimens are already Hell. He didn't want to have to experience anything worse._

 _They both continued to watch for a while, both comfortable just standing there and clapping along with the rest of the children whenever Aomine scored a point. They watched as their ace even scooped up a little girl on his shoulders and assisted her in dunking her own basket. Kise had to stifle his laughter when the ball ended up smacking Aomine in the face on its way back down to earth. More kids and teens wanted their turn scoring point with the help of Daiki, and a lot of them got their wishes._

" _So, Micchi," Kise spoke after a while, "the amazing thing you wanted to show me was…"_

" _Aomine Daiki." She finished without looking at him._

" _But, that's the thing, I already know he's amazing! I even joined the team because I admire him!"_

" _And it's because you keep admiring him like that that you won't be able to defeat him."_

 _The response hit something in Kise. He didn't know what it was, but if felt like a mixture of realization and dread. He wasn't too fond of the feeling._

" _Aomine is amazing, incredible even, when it comes to basketball." Mia continued, "But what I think is the most amazing thing of all is the fact that he is still a human being. He has an ego, I'll admit, but he also has a heart. You keep saying that you want to beat him, but you're putting him on some kind of pedestal, Kise-kun. He is not a god. He is not a machine. He is only human."_

" _ **You will not win if you keep secretly thinking that you don't want him to lose"**_

* * *

"I guess that's it then." Kise said, a sad smile on his face. Aomine looked behind him and caught sight of Kise's golden eyes, the emotion behind them something he wasn't prepared for.

"I'll quit admiring you."

* * *

Kagami looked down at Mia, his face filled with shock and disbelief at the new piece of information that she had just given him. Once he was able to form coherent sentences again, he said, "No way...but...didn't he say it was impossible?!"

Mia was silent.

"Yes." Kuroko answered for her, "But that's the only way to win at this point. What Kise-kun is trying to do now, is _copy Aomine-kun's style._ "

"Copy Aomine?!" Izuki exclaimed after overhearing their conversation. Hyuuga and the other senpai started to become more interested in what their shadow player had to say and turned their heads to listen in better.

"Can he really do that?!"

"In the first place, Kise-kun's copying is simply doing what he's capable of. He can't do the impossible."

"...huh?" Koganei's head tilted to the side in confusion at Kuroko explanation of things. Mia sighed in amusement at her senpai's response and this time took it upon herself to explain.

"In simple terms, he has an extraordinary understanding of things. But, he can't copy an NBA player or moves that surpass his physical ability."

She retracted her hand from Kuroko's and crossed her arms together over her chest, getting into a more comfortable position despite her inner turmoil.

"However, if he's still trying to pull it off, that means he believes that he can do it."

Riko hummed in thought, her fingers tapping her chin at the idea of Kise copying a member of the Generation of Miracles. And the _ace_ at that.

"Takagi-san." She called over her shoulder. Mia looked at her immediately, her blue eyes snapping to meet Riko's brown ones. "What are the chances of Kise successfully copying Aomine?"

Mia wasn't at all taken aback by the question. She knew that everyone was wondering.

"Well I haven't been able to clearly see how much Ryouta-kun and Aomine's numbers have improved, but from up here I can tell that Ryouta-kun's have more than likely increased by about 23% and Aomine-"

"No no no!" Riko stopped her before she finished, "Not with numbers. Although, it would be nice if you wrote all that down in the notebook after the game today."

Mia continued to look at her, confused at where she was going with this.

"I meant on a more personal level. As the former assistant manager for Teiko. Without knowing the facts and numbers. Do you think Kise will be able to do it?"

Now _that_ wasn't something Mia was prepared for. Not use numbers? Make predictions based off of feelings alone? Didn't people all want to know the facts? How everything will play out? She remembered Riko scolding her back at the lodge and how she said that Seirin "does things differently" than Teiko. But she didn't know it meant _this_ too.

Mia gave it a shot though. She focused on the court and how the ball dribbled back and forth, one team having it and trying to reach the basket only for the other team to steal it and turn it over. She saw the glances Kise and Aomine gave one another as they passed each other, and the glares of concentration when they went one on one. Although they were enemies today, she remembered a similar scene playing out like this just two years before when she took Kise out with her to show him how Aomine was more "normal" than he thought he was.

She also remembered the way Aomine was able to catch them chatting behind the fence and how he stood there questioning their presence and Mia's choice of wardrobe. She remembered trying to lecture Daiki out of playing any more games for the day only to be scolded by _children_ for trying to take him away from them, Kise cackling at the sight. She remembered having to take score as both Aomine and Kise began a match with the kids, both of them on opposing teams. She also remembered forgetting to the score altogether as she watched the both of them laugh with the kids as they played, neither one actually trying to win for once. That day, instead of Aomine being the superior one of the both of them, it was like they were both equal. It was nice. It was different.

It was something she wanted to see again.

"Yeah." Mia responded after a while, "I think he really could if he tried."

* * *

The buzzer was loud, but the crowd was louder. The people stood and roared in the stands as Imayoshi's buzzer beater counted towards the score, giving Touou the lead 43 - 34. Kasamatsu grit his teeth as he glared at the man with glasses. Of all things he wanted to hit, Kise wasn't one of them for once.

"Oops." Imayoshi smirked, "It went it."

He shrugged mockingly, as if to say "what can you do about it?" and walked away towards his own team. Even with his back turned, Kaijou's captain could tell that he was relishing in the frowning faces his own team was sending back at him.

"END OF THE SECOND QUARTER" The announcer said, "WE'RE GOING INTO A TEN MINUTE BREAK."

* * *

"Fuwahh~! I'm thirsty!" Koganei announced to his team. Every turned to him and gave him a questioning stare.

Hyuuga was the first to say something, "What's that out of nowhere, Koga?"

"I mean, it's a su~uper tense atmosphere. And it's like we were against some crazy folks!"

"Still, we all got beverages before the game even started. What happened to you water?"

"I drank it all! I need more!"

"Yeah, it's really hot in here." Riko agreed, fanning herself with her hand, "I'm almost done with my own juice and I'm _still_ thirsty."

"...Shall I go get more?" Kuroko offered. After all, _he_ didn't go to help and retrieve refreshments the last time so the least he could do was go and get more.

"I'll take a pocari!"

"Me too!"

"Lemonade please, Tetsuya. I'll pay you and Tiger back when I get money."

"I told you not to worry!"

"Cola~!"

"Nacchan lemon!"

"BEER!"

"WHO'S THE IDIOT ALWAYS TRYING TO GET ALCOHOL?!" Hyuuga shouted, "STOP IT! AND BESIDES, ALL FIRST YEARS ARE GOING TOGETHER!"

"EHHHHH?!"

"Haha! Sucks to be you guys!"

"You're going too, Takagi."

"...damn it."

* * *

"A nine point difference."

Kaijou, at this point, relocated from the court to their locker room, everyone contemplating on what their next move should be when their ace was in the middle of copying their enemy.

"That last shot was painful."

"AW SHIT! IF I HAD TAKEN THE LAST REBOUND!" Hayakawa banged his head against the locker several times before Kasamatsu grabbed his head to make him stop.

"It went in. There was no rebound." He said, letting go of the loud second year's head. He looked around the room in search of a head of familiar golden hair. When he found what he was looking for, sitting on the far bench, he made sure his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Kise...how much more time do you need?"

Kise didn't answer right away. He kept his eyes focused on the wall of lockers ahead of him, the towel on his head pooling around his shoulders.

"...At earliest, until the second half of the third quarter. If I screw up, it might even take until the fourth quarter."

He took off the white towel and stood from his spot on the bench. Quickly changing into his school's blue t-shirt, he asked to step out for a moment, promising to return before the start of the third quarter. With the permission of their captain, Kise walked out of the locker room.

"That means most of the third quarter we'll be playing pretty much without Kise." One of the other men in the room grumbled once the topic of their conversation was out of hearing distance.

Kasamatsu stared at the door Kise had walked through not too long ago. His brows furrowed and his frown deepened.

' _Can we pull it off against Touou?'_ He thought, _'No...we'll definitely do it! Therefore, we're counting on you Kise!'_

* * *

The summer breeze was relaxing against Kise's sweaty face. It was hot and humid out, but the gust of air was cool and comforting. Leaning on a large pipe with divided the grand balcony from the hazardous ground below, Kise enjoyed the breeze. Or at least _tried_ to enjoy it. His mind was so filled with thoughts of Aomine and the match that he couldn't find any room to think of anything else.

Sighing, the teen dug in his jersey pockets and pulled out his cell phone, his special phone straps clinking against one another from the movement. He snapped over the cellular device and quickly searched through his messages for one particular text he received not that long ago.

' _Good luck, Ryouta-kun.'_ It read.

There was no emotion on the model's face as he stared at the message. There was only a small pang in his heart.

"Ah! Kise-kun…" A voice pulled him out from his state of stupor.

"Eh?" The blonde looked over only to see a head of teal blue hair and matching round eyes staring back at him. He blanched when he realized that he was looking at the face of his former Teiko teammate, Kuroko Tetsuya.

"Hello." The boy greeted, his face void of any genuine happiness.

"KUROKOCCHI?! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!"

"I got separated."

"HUH?!"

Astonished was an understatement on how Kise was currently feeling. No, he was utterly bewildered! Never had he ever expected to see Kuroko at one of his games like this! It stupefied him to the point where he-

"Nigou!"

Kise froze. His golden orbs widened and he could've sworn he saw Kuroko's widen a fraction as well as he heard the same voice as well. His ears strained to listen for any more signs of that voice. Instead, all he could hear were the tiny bouts of barking which were getting closer and closer.

"Nigou~!

The hand still holding his phone tightened. He couldn't be hearing things could he?

A few seconds later, a small black and white husky came into view and was heading towards him and Kuroko. The latter noticed the small bundle of and turned around to fully face it.

"Oh, Nigou." He said, kneeling down to catch the dog which had jumped into his arms when he was close enough, "I thought you were out on your walk to stretch your legs. You _were_ in the bag for a long time during the game."

"NIGOU!" A feminine shout clamored, followed by the appearance of a girl with long black hair wearing Seirin's uniform. Kise just about crushed his phone right then and there.

"You can't just ditch me for Tetsuya like that, Nigou!" Mia complained, getting closer and closer to the two without fully realizing who else was with Kuroko, "I understand you want to move around more when you get the chance, but we were right in the middle of 'Operation Scare-Tiger-So-Badly-He-Drops-All-The-Drinks'! Tetsuya could've waited five more min...utes…"

Mia stopped moving the second her eyes made contact with Kise's. Her breath got caught in her throat and it felt like her feet were made of led at the moment. For probably the hundredth time that day, she could feel her heart beating rapidly against her chest. This time though, it was extremely painful.

She wasn't prepared for this.

Neither of them were.

" _Micchi…?"_

* * *

 **Just TWO more chapters until we're DONE with the Kise vs. Aomine arc! Hallelujah!**

 **See you soon~!**


	21. The Sun and The Moon V

**I just realized what a terrible writer I am. I started this fan fiction when I was only 15 years old. I am now 17 and as I reread through the first few chapters, I almost want to create a time machine just to stab myself in the face for created something so horrible. I even have an A in my English class! I GET 95s ON MY ESSAYS AND YET I CAN'T PROPERLY WRITE FANFICTION?! MAN I'm a disgrace. But, the only reason why I'm still writing this story is because writing fan fiction is waaaay too much fun, not matter how crappy my writing is. Also, because I get so many lovely reviews who say that love it and give me helpful advice on how to make it better. You guys make this worthwhile and I am grateful for all of you!**

 **Anyway, ENJOY~!**

* * *

" _Copy_ Aomine?!"

Back in Touou's locker room, Momoi had taken it upon herself to gather all the players and discuss with them how she believed Kaijou was about to unleash their ultimate weapon on them, Kise's own copy of their star ace's skill. Needless to say, none of them seemed to please about the idea.

"Yes." The pinkette answered with a stern expression. She glanced towards her childhood friend, waiting to see if any kind of reaction came from him as well. When she realized she wasn't gonna get anything after all, she resumed speaking.

"But, it's not just copying one technique. He's gonna copy the _entire_ style. He's updating the past with the current image. Even if he could manage it, it should still take him a bit more time."

Imayoshi stared at their manager, his thoughts tumbling back to his little conversation he had with Kaijou's captain during the game.

" _He has a weapon."_ He had said back then.

' _I see. So that's what he meant. No wonder why they were so calm.'_

"COACH!" Wakamatsu shouted despite the fact that they were all in a small room and that their coach was literally right in front of him, "If we know that, then there's no reason to put him out! Let's withdraw him!"

"Oi oi…" Came Aomine's lazy, but dangerous, drawl, "Don't be stupid. What are you trying to do by intentionally lowering our strength? Of course we're gonna keep going like this."

A vein popped in Wakamatsu's forehead as he seethed in anger, " _WHAT was that you bastar?!_ "

The tan teenager just smirked at his senpai, completely unaffected by the anger radiating off of the blonde. He stood from his spot on the bench, making him look as if he towered over the older student.

"Copying me? As if that's possible. Even if I take a million steps back and say it's possible, it wouldn't change anything."

" **The only one who can win against me, is me alone.** "

Momoi continued to look at Daiki until he left the locker room completely, a sad and pained expression filling her eyes.

* * *

Despite the impossibility of reaching such a high number, Mia was 1001% positive that she was having a heart attack right now as she hid behind Kuroko's body.

"...Mia."

"No, Tetsuya."

"He can still see you."

"No he can't. If I can't see him, then he can't see me either."

Kise, himself, watched as Kuroko kept trying to step aside for him to fully see the girl he's been missing for several months now, only for her to follow him and keep clutching to the back of his shirt. Normally, he would've been clinging on to someone if he hadn't seen them in a while, begging for them to love him to make up for the lost time between them - similar to how he acted when he first saw Kuroko again.

But this wasn't normal for him.

Nigou barked happily in Kuroko's arms, reminding everyone that he's still there too as he wagged his tail and climbed over Tetsuya's shoulder to nudge Mia's head with his nose.

"Even Nigou wants you to come out."

"...No."

Her grip on his shirt tightened.

"I already met someone. It hasn't even been twenty four hours since I last spoke to them. I just...no...not now…"

She breathed out the last of her sentence rather than actually speaking it, but Kise could still understand what she was trying to say. He looked down in his hand and realized that he was still holding on to his phone, Mia's message still there on the screen. It was an odd feeling seeing a text message from someone only to have that same person right there in front of you. She may have been hiding behind another person, but it still counted.

The model caught sight of his two phone straps that dangled off of his device, the sunlight catching the small scratches on both the basketball and microphone, and looked back up at the cowering figure of Takagi Mia. Finally, his face morphed from it's shocked gaze to a more gentle smile as he closed out his phone and stuck it back into his pocket. He got into a more comfortable position, leaning his back against the large pipe barrier while he looked up at the sky. His hand played with his phone in his pocket, turning it around in his palm.

"I'd never imagined you'd come to watch." Kise said. Mia stiffened and Kuroko looked up after retracted Nigou from his shoulder and into a more safer position in his arms. Neither one knew who he was talking to, but when it seemed like Mia had no plan to answer him, the teal haired male took it upon himself to do so.

"We had our training camp around here until yesterday, so…"

"Tch. So you're not here to cheer for me?"

"No."

"How cruel!"

Kise looked over towards Mia once more, trying to see if she had loosened up at all from the way the conversation was going. Maybe she would even take a jab at him herself like she usually would do back at Teiko whenever he and Kuroko spoke to each other like this.

She didn't.

"...Then, let me ask you something." He began. Immediately, Kuroko knew that although the question was formed to make it seem like it was for him, both he and the girl behind him knew it wasn't.

Kise leaned a little bit forward, away from the pipe, and Mia could just _feel_ it. Golden eyes burning a hole into the top of her head which was poking from behind her friend.

"Between Aominecchi and me...if you were to choose, who do you think will win?"

She remembered what she had told them years ago at Teiko, after finding them battling against one another even though she was against the whole thing. He must have remembered too and wanted to see if anything changed since them.

Mia's grip loosened on Kuroko's shirt, but she didn't come out from behind him when she answered in barely a whisper, "...I don't know."

It was enough for Kise to hear though, "Heh…"

"B-But!" She spoke again before she could stop herself, "I'm not talking about numbers and facts like last time. When one chooses not to give up, it's very difficult to decide the outcome of a match. The both of you are very stubborn so I know neither one of you will give up anytime soon. So, although it's giving me an aneurysm just watching…"

She looked up over Kuroko's shoulder and locked eyes with Kise. He stared back, but slightly stunned. The cold blue eyes he was so accustomed to looking into, he was met with a more tender hue of sapphire. Like the sharp edges of ice held in her orbs had melted down since the last time he saw her.

It was different.

"I don't think it's strange for either of you to win."

A few moments past with no one saying anything. Mia still clung to Kuroko's shirt while he looked at Kise, Nigou licking his arm to get some attention. Kise, on the other hand, stood slightly alarmed at what had transpired as she spoke to him. Was this really _the_ Takagi Mia?

"Mi-"

"WELL!" Mia suddenly exclaimed, letting go of Kuroko and all but pushing him towards Kise as she quickly turned around and started heading back where she came from. "That's about all the reunioning I can handle for today. Actually, that's all I can handle for a hundred years. I'll be heading back now! Tetsuya, make sure to let Nigou walk around a little bit before coming back in! Riko-senpaiwouldbeveryupsetifhestartsactingupagaininthestands! Seeyousoon!"

She had spoken a little too fast towards the end as she literally sprinted back inside, leaving Kuroko with an overly shocked Kise, his mouth hanging open from when he was trying to speak to Mia before she left. Slowly he closed it, but kept staring off into the direction which Mia had left in.

"...Micchi...wasn't always like that…." Kise mumbled in awe. It was more than likely he was merely speaking to himself, trying to get into his head that what just happened was indeed a reality and not a hallucination his brain had created.

Either way, Kuroko answered him sincerely, "Really?" Then, "I believe she's always been like this. We just weren't ready to see it back at Teiko."

Kise looked down at the invisible man, his gaze filled with questions he hoped the teen would answer. When it seemed like Kuroko was gonna keep his lips sealed, he smiled sadly and ran a hand through his hair as the wind picked up. The hand clutching his phone in his pocket tightened its hold slightly, but just as quickly let go.

"...hmmmm~?"

He gave a quick sigh before turning around and beginning to walk in the opposite direction as Mia, giving a short wave to Kuroko and Nigou.

"Okay then. I'll do my best out there."

He stopped walking when he saw the odd look Kuroko was giving him.

"...What?"

"No, I just thought...you would say 'I'd definitely win!'"

"What's that about?!"

Kise groaned at how his former teammate seemed to always picture him, then thought back to how it was during Teiko. Maybe Kuroko wasn't that much off from his description.

"...Well, of course I intend to do just that. But, honestly, I'm not so sure myself. During middle school, winning a game was a given."

The wind picked up again, and Kise looked down at Kuroko with a smile that just screamed 'I want to keep going! I want to keep playing!'.

"But right now, not knowing if I can win or not, feels way better."

* * *

"Hey, everyone!" Mia greeted cheerfully once she had made it back to her seat. It had seemed like the rest of the first years, save Kuroko, had successfully returned as well.

"You're late, Takagi!" Kagami was the first to respond.

"Haha! Sorry!"

"Where did you go? And where the hell is Kuroko?!"

"...Tetsuya is dealing with something at the moment. He'll be here soon. As for me, I got lost on my way back here."

It wasn't a complete lie. After running away from both Kise and Kuroko, Mia had made many turns thinking that she would quickly find the aisle that held her team's seats. She realized she had made some sort of mistake along the way the moment the halls started to look more like a horror movie than a stadium and the smell of fungi penetrated her nostrils.

"Heh. That's not surprising."

"Excuse you, Tiger. There's no need to be sassy." Mia pouted as she took her seat next to the large player, kicking his shins as she passed him.

"Well, because you and Kuroko ditched us like that, I've been forced to hold _your_ drinks! So yeah, I'm excused. Speaking of which, take your lemonade."

"Ah, thank you."

The redhead held out the bottle of freshly bought pink lemonade to Mia, the cold temperature foreign compared to the previous bottle which had grown warm during the long first quarter. It wasn't until the girl's hand connected with the bottle that Kagami noticed she was, in fact, shaking.

"Oi…" He started, grabbing her wrist before she could escape him. Mia looked up, startled by his actions. "What happened?"

She looked between Kagami and the arm he was holding and noticed that his grip, although sudden, wasn't rough. It wasn't gentle either. Mia was pretty sure she would've been more terrified if Kagami Taiga was actually _gentle_ with her than she would've been if he was rough.

It was firm, solid, unyielding. It let Mia know that despite whatever words he may say, Kagami was _genuinely_ concerned about her right now.

For that she was grateful.

But she did not feel the need to indulge him and his perturbed mind.

"I'm fine." Mia said with a smile instead of giving Kagami the answers he was looking for. She slowly nudged her wrist out of the boy's grasp, making sure he wasn't going to try and grab her again before she faced the court once again.

"I'm fine." She said again, this time to herself. She could still feel Kagami's eyes on her, studying her intensly. Ignoring them, she began to have a conversation with Kiyoshi about the different types of candy that would be most suitable to eat during the match and wondering if they should send out someone to go and fetch them from the concession stands.

Needless to say, she was grateful for Kuroko's return when he managed to rile Kagami up again upon his return, completely forgetting about all worry he may have had towards the raven haired girl.

* * *

"THE THIRD QUARTER WILL NOW BEGIN!"

Although it had only been less than five seconds since Sakurai retrieved the ball, he instantly found himself be blocked and pushed back by Kaijou's own Moriyama.

"Waaaaaaahhh~" He cried, moving the ball this way and that just to keep it out of the other man's reach.

' _There's much more pressure than in the first half! I have to fight-!'_

The familiar texture and roundness of the ball in his hands was suddenly gone before the young teen knew it. Looking behind him in horror, he found that it was Kasamatsu's fault that he lost the ball.

Aomine watched the scene play out before him on his side of the court, making sure to mark Kise while he did so. However, his head snapped to the side the moment he realized that Kise's figure was indeed gone just as fast.

Kasamatsu's claim on the ball tightened as he hurled the orange sphere across the court towards the blonde ace, the crowd cheering loudly at the quick and fluid movements.

"WOAH!"

"A SUDDEN QUICK ATTACK!"

"I won't let you pass!" Imayoshi stepped right into Kise's path. His arms were spread out in front of him, keeping the junior from even thinking of getting through his iron wall. However, Kise just breathed in deeply and looked off at the side.

Everything happened in slow motion then.

The ball fell through his fingers, bouncing away from him and letting Imayoshi get a perfectly clear view of it. This was it. He could take the ball now. It was right there in front of him. All he had to do was grab it.

But, in the few seconds it took for the glasses wearing teen to think those things, it took Kise even shorter to seize the ball once again and trash it back down on the court, maneuvering it between his legs as he side stepped around Imayoshi's stunned form.

"What?!" He gasped, "No way, that's Aomine's-!"

Even the tanned player was surprised. His indigo eyes widened uncharacteristically as his feet began to feel like iron, making it difficult for him to function for a few seconds. Luckily for him, Imayoshi's reflexes took over and he shoved himself in Kise's way once more. The referee blew his whistle and called a foul for such a move, but it safely kept Kise _away_ from Touou's net.

' _He couldn't stop him without a foul!_ ' Momoi thought on the sidelines next to their coach, _'It's still incomplete and quite behind the real thing, but...no way...It's much faster than I expected!'_

* * *

"RIKO-SENPAI!" Mia all but screamed at her coach the second Seirin witnessed Kise's incredible movements on the court. The older woman jumped in surprised but gave Mia her undivided attention nonetheless. "I need my notebook! PLEASE!"

Her blue eyes were wide with disbelief and her hand was thrust forward towards her senpai, but she was absolutely serious. It took a little bit for Riko to get the cogs in her brain to work and to realize she meant her data notebook. The moment she did though, she instantly dived for her bag and pulled out the black book, along with a mechanical pencil for her to write with.

As soon as the small book reached her hands, Mia flew it open to a random blank page and began to scribble numbers on it as fast as she could, starting with Kise Ryouta. Her writing was sloppy and dark, big in some spots and small in others. It was completely different from her previous notes where it took her an entire page for just one person due to the precision she put on each page. Now it was like a massacre of numbers, formulas and messy looking charts on white paper that almost seem to tear after each stroke of lead.

The rest of Seirin watched in astonishment at both the game and at their manager-to-be, not quite sure which to keep their eyes on the most. Some kept their eyes glued to the court, watching as Kiss attempted one of Aomine's shooting techniques, only to be pushed again and given two free throws. Others, watched the way Mia's scribbling started to calm down somewhat, her marking getting smaller but the fire in her eyes growing into an inferno.

"T-Takagi-san?" Riki tried get the girl's attention. The crowd cheered when one of Kise's free throws easily made it in the hoop. " _Takagi-san_?"

"Riko-senpai." Mia abruptly cut her off, shoving the notebook towards her and pointing at it with the pencil. "Ryouta-kun just made a 38.43% overall improvement in just the matter of a few seconds! That's incredibly fast! Ridiculously fast! All the numbers pointed to him not being able to reach such a level of improvement until the beginning of the fourth quarter at the latest. But he managed to do it much earlier!"

She brought the book back to her eyes, the roar of the crowd from witnessing Kise's second free throw falling on deaf ears.

"That can only me, he'll continue to improve at this rate, copying Aomine's style, until he reach 56.9%. After that he'll have to play at his own pace again since his stamina will have decrease drastically by-"

 **BANG!**

The whole stadium grew quiet as the ball slammed into the backboard like a gunshot. Slowly and with widened eyes, Mia looked up from her notebook and saw the way Kise's form froze as he stared off at his team's goal which had just gotten a score through. She how Aomine's arm was across his chest, showing that it was _him_ who had gotten his team two more points in an instant.

He didn't _try_ to make it seem like it was a big deal.

"U-UWAA! THAT WENT IT?!"

"WASN'T THAT A SHOT?!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"

Everyone kept hollering different cries back and forth, each showing their own individual excitement at the development of the game. Mia, however, looked at it with a mix of sadness…

...and _frustration_.

"...Takagi-san?" Riko quietly asked while still focused on the game.

Mia knew what she was trying to ask and said, "...Aomine's rate is still the same, at about 49.70%, but I can tell that that is only his lowest rate of increase. Now that they are in the second quarter, it will most likely increase by about 10%, making his rate of increase equal to about 59.07%. That's 2.17% higher than Ryouta-kun's _highest_."

"So...does this mean that Touou's gonna win? _Again_?" Koganei couldn't help but asking. It wasn't his fault, though. Everyone was thinking it too.

"No." Mia answered immediately. "No matter how Ryouta-kun and Aomine perform today, it isn't about them. Kaijou still has a 3% possibility of overcoming the fourteen point different and defeated Touou."

"3%?!"

"Yes. If Touou managed to get it to fifteen or over, landing somewhere in the 97% range, then _that's_ when we can say the game is as good as done."

"Why are you saying that so calmly?!"

" _Because_ ," She emphasized, "It may be a small chance for them, but a chance is still a chance!"

Kuroko watched his friend speak next to him, her voice steady despite the low digits she gave everyone. But, as he kept his look fixedly on her, he saw the intensity in her eyes. The way she focused on the court with a passion and spirit he hadn't seen in so long. He wondered if she even realized it herself.

How terrifying she looks when a certain switch is flipped inside of her.

* * *

" _Ah! But I guess I_ do _have a reason to really go all out today!" Kise said, turning back around to face Kuroko one last time before really heading inside. He could already tell that halftime was almost up and his lower back was starting to get sore by just the mere thought of Kasamatsu hitting him for coming back later than expected._

 _But he felt like he needed to say this._

" _Now that Micchi is back, I can't seem to calm down. How many pages of me do you think she'll write once she sees me copy Aominecchi?"_

 _Kuroko just stared back at him in thought._

" _...Too many I would say."_

" _Right?! Now I'm_ really _fired up! Just the thought of Micchi keeping her eyes on me during the match is too much!"_

" _...I don't think she would appreciate you thinking that way when you have a game to focus on, Kise-kun."_

" _EH?!"_

* * *

Now Kuroko watched as Mia's eyes sparkled with knowledge and even a little bit of excitement at the way Kise managed to motivate her. Her hand was still hovering a little bit above the pages of her notebook as she watched the exchange between both Aomine and Kise. Nobody knew what was being said, but one could only imagine it wasn't too friendly.

After a moment of hesitation, Mia brought her hand back down to write. Her hand moved more slowly this time and she chose to work on a new page instead of the one she was on before. At the top of the parchment, she carefully wrote out the symbols for 'Aomine', the last stroke coming off a little lighter than the rest. She stared at the name on the page for a good minute, refusing to write any numbers that were currently racing through her brain.

Instead, she just softly closed the notebook and held it to her forehead as if she was praying.

* * *

Kise was undoubtedly having one of the most difficult times of his life right now. He slowly jogs to his place on the court, thinking about how today is almost right up there with the day that he and everyone else realized that Mia had actually left them behind to God knows where.

' _My patience isn't good enough to let me obediently wait until your preparation is complete.'_ He remembers Aomine saying to him after his instant shot after his free throws. It startled him just how much more he had to go to reach the teen's level. Would he even be able to do it now?

"GRAWWW!" Came the cry of one of the players underneath Touou's net. Kise knew that voice. Anyone in the stadium could recognize that annoying voice if he was to be honest.

Hayakawa's feet barely touched the ground before he sprang back up and jammed the basketball into their enemy's net, receiving a cheer from the crowd as he did so.

"HE MADE IT!"

"KAIJOU RETURNED THE POINT DIFFERENCE BACK TO 12!"

"..." Kise gaped at his senpai, his feet starting to slow down before he realized that he was actually playing in the game as well, picking up his pace so that he marked one of Touou's men.

He saw the way Imayoshi tucked the ball behind him and threw it to their shooting guard.

' _Crap! If they get three more points then that's-!'_

Kise barely had time to finish his thought before Moriyama slapped the ball out of the player's hands and back down to the court.

"Nice, Moriyama!" Kasamtsu praised once he grabbed the ball.

The point difference remained at 12.

And Kise wasn't the only one who made it happen.

"Senpai…" He began once he reached Moriyama and the others. They looked at him with knowing glances and easy smiles.

"Don't worry. Just focus on your stuff. In exchange, if we win, introduce me to some girls."

"What's with that Moriyama-san?!"

They bickered and swatted at one another even though they were still in the middle of a game. Kasamatsu looked at them with a frown, making them shut up, and passed the ball to one of their players.

The game just kept going.

And Kise wasn't the only one playing.

' _...I think I'm starting to understand what Kurokocchi told me. The "team" he spoke of. What I should do for that. And…'_

He looked up at the stands, his golden eyes scanning for the familiar face he always saw on the sidelines at all of his games. Once his eyes made contact with deep blue ones, their gaze never ending and _warm_ , he felt like the difficult time he was experiencing right now, may not be as bad as he thought it was.

' _What I should do right_ now. _'_

* * *

" _Hey, Micchi?" Kise asked as he took a seat next to the obviously exhausted girl on the ground. Both him and Aomine had been playing with the kids for practically the entire day, never letting Mia go and keeping her with them to keep score instead. She didn't exactly do a great job of it, but she complied and let them keep her prisoner during her free Sunday._

" _Nn?" She replied sleepily._

" _Aominecchi's pretty unstoppable, huh?"_

" _...I guess."_

 _They were silent for a while._

" _...Hey, Kise-kun?"_

" _Nn?"_

" _If you played against someone like yourself, knowing everything and doing the same exact moves as you, do you think you would still win?"_

" _Eh? So I'd be playing against myself?"_

" _Pretty much."_

" _Then wouldn't that just mean I'd win either way?"_

" _...Nevermind."_

" _No no no! Wait! Micchi~!" He cried, "I wanna answer this one! Let me answer it!"_

" _...Then let me change my question. If_ Aomine _played against someone who knew all his moves and used it against him, against_ himself _, what do you think would be the outcome?"_

" _Aominecchi against himself?"_

" _Yes…"_

 _ **What do you think would happen then?**_

* * *

The ball was in his hands. But it was weird. He didn't remember how it got there. Kise stares down at it, small pieces coming together as he realizes his situation.

' _Ah. I have to run now.'_

But of course there's someone in his way. And that person is none other than Aomine Daiki.

" _If Aomine went against himself, what do you think would happen?"_

Kise smirked, "What _do_ you think will happen?"

The blonde looked up slowly, his eyes meeting the tanned players own indigo ones. Once Aomine caught sight of the expression on his face, he froze. Chills raced up his spine and almost made the hairs on the back of his neck stand.

It was almost like he was looking at himself.

He didn't understand how it actually could have happened. Kise copying him?! Completely?!

Kise dribbled the ball and took one step towards him. Then another. Aomine held his arms up, ready to keep him away from the basket and steal the ball from him. It should be easy. His agility is greater than Kise's. He can't pass just with mimicking alone.

"Geez, we're tired of waiting." Kasamatsu sighed, " _Go get him_."

With one final push, Kise Ryouta managed to break down Aomine's walls.

* * *

Mia didn't show it, but she felt like crying when she saw Kise shoot past Aomine.

...There was no way she would admit that to anyone, though. Not even Kuroko.

* * *

 **Again, thank you all for sticking with me through my crappy writing! I love you all dearly and promise to at least finish this fan fiction! SEE YOU SOON~!**


	22. Please don't kill me!

**_PLEASE. DON'T. KILL. ME!_**

* * *

I know, I'm also not a fan of author's posting updates like this instead of a chapter. However, I kind of understand why they do it. There's literally no other way to get all the reader's attention!

 _Anyway_ , so I know it's been an extremely long time since I've last updated this story, but I just want you all to know I haven't forgotten about any of it! In fact, I'm on every day and I always just pause in front of my published works with a face that's similar to that one thoughtful emoji. Truth be told, I don't like this story. Not because of the characters I've created or the plot or anything like that. It's because I wrote this when I was a freshman in high school; still a baby when it came to writing my own stories. Back then, I had a specific plot I wanted to go through and write about, but I never wrote it down nor gave it much thought so I've just been going with the flow in the recent chapters. I go through all of them now and I cringe about once or twice in each chapter.

SO, I'm going to stop writing this story here and just start from the beginning. This time, I'll actually try my best to write my story plot and characters better. I'll make sure to actually write everything out this time. Maybe I'll even change the main character's name? She'll still be the same character and all; same personality, same last name. I've just noticed that there are plenty of KnB stories where the OC is named Mia. It actually bummed me out when I found out about it.

Still, I'm very thankful for everyone who's taken the time to read this story. Thank you for following and making it one of your favorites for so long. This story was first published on May 5, 2015 so I will make sure that the first chapter of the new, rewritten version comes out on the same day.

 **Thank you again for staying with me for so long! I hope to see all of you again soon!**

 **-3VAMM3**


	23. Note

Hi again!

I hope none of you thought I left this story behind or forgot about it. I would never! I'm just trying to get somewhere with my other stories as well as survive the last few stressful days I have of school before my summer vacation. I have several ideas of rewriting this story so it's not put away forever.

With that being said, I have something I wish to ask of you guys. Remember how I said I may change Mia's name in the rewrite? Well, I've been thinking and I want to see what your guys' opinion is on that subject. I already thought up of a new name with a better meaning for the storyline and Mia's character will be the same and incorporated into that new name, but only if you guys wish for her to have that name. If not, if you guys still want Mia, then I will be happy to keep naming her that.

I have a poll on my profile for you guys to choose which name you prefer and It'll be open for about two weeks so you guys have plenty of time to choose. Let me know what you guys think and I'll see you soon! ^^


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